Two Presidents in Osawatomie – 101 Years Apart
More than a century after Teddy Roosevelt outlined a vision for a “New Nationalism” in Osawatomie, President Obama visited the same community to talk about what he called a make-or-break moment of the middle class.
Theodore Roosevelt
August 31, 1910
Purpose: Invited to dedicate the John Brown Memorial State Park, Roosevelt instead used the occasion to give his “New Nationalism” speech, beginning his re-election campaign.
He arrived by train, rode in an open car, and was escorted by mounted cavalry from Fort Leavenworth.
Standing on a kitchen table used as a platform, he spoke in the park to an audience of 30,000 people, the largest crowd ever in Osawatomie’s history.
In his speech, he regarded “the executive power as the steward of public welfare. It demands the judiciary that it shall be interested primarily in human welfare rather than in property, just as it demands that the representative body shall represent all the people rather than any one class of people”
Roosevelt and his retinue feasted at a banquet held for them at the Osawatomie State Hospital.
Barack Obama
December 6, 2011
Purpose: Unlike Roosevelt, the President asked to come to Osawatomie to inaugurate his re-election campaign. His “Fairness” speech resonated with much of Roosevelt’s tone.
He arrived in Kansas by plane, flew to Miami County Airport in a helicopter, rode in a secure limo, and was protected by members of the Secret Service.
Standing on a stage flown in for this occasion, he spoke in the Osawatomie High School gym to a full house and hundreds of thousands of television and internet viewers.
In his speech, he stated, “Too many children can no longer expect to join the middle class, no matter if they work hard and play by the rules. That’s inexcusable, it’s wrong. It flies in the face of everything we stand for”. He went on to put forth his case for a payroll tax cut and broader arguments against his opponents’ economic agenda.
Obama and his retinue got “take-out” at We B’ Smokin’ Barbeque.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt makes the case for a “New Nationalism” in a speech at Osawatomie, Kansas, on August 31, 1910. Roosevelt invokes and quotes Abraham Lincoln frequently in his speech which is peppered with references to the Civil War and the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Theodore Roosevelt’s Osawatomie Speech – Kansas Historical Society
TR Center – The new nationalism
Osawatomie Graphic – September 1, 1910
Barack Obama
On December 6, 2011, President Barack Obama delivered a significant fifty-five-minute speech in Osawatomie, Kansas. Obama aimed to connect his domestic economic policies and objectives with those of the twenty-sixth President, Theodore Roosevelt. As an ex-president and budding presidential aspirant, Roosevelt had presented his famous “New Nationalism” address on August 31, 1910, during the dedication of the John Brown Memorial Park.
Remarks by the President on the Economy in Osawatomie, Kansas | whitehouse.gov
New York Times Video of President Obama’s Osawatomie Speech
Obama Speech Images Courtesy of Osawatomie Graphic
Osawatomie Graphic – December 7, 2011
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