History Happy Hour - Rushmore Series: Remembering Theodore Roosevelt

History Happy Hour is a weekly virtual program hosted by the White House Historical Association. Join us as experts weigh in on a variety of historical topics, share their insights, answer audience questions, and enjoy presidential-inspired libations.

You can find images of former presidents everywhere. And few presidents command our attention as much as Theodore Roosevelt. Even a century after his death he remains a recognizable and compelling figure. In the first of our Rushmore series, we explore the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt. With the help of Michael Patrick Cullinane, we will learn about how Roosevelt made it on to the mountain, where else the Rough Rider is depicted in stone and statue, and why Roosevelt’s legacy developed the way it has. Cullinane will also discuss the pop culture representations that we may take for granted, but as he believes, actually shape our impression of Roosevelt.

Michael Patrick Cullinane is Professor of U.S. history at the University of Roehampton, London and the author of Theodore Roosevelt’s Ghost: The History and Memory of an American Icon, which won the 2018 Theodore Roosevelt book award.