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Brinkley Speech
Alex Peterson
November 17, 2017
2 hours 30 minutes
Story category: Speech

The past presidents of the United States have shaped the country’s culture and led us to

our current political situation says American history commentator Douglas Brinkley.

“The presidents have really defined our eras. We talk in the terms of the Clinton years,

the Reagan years, the Kennedy years, the Johnson years…. It’s all based on a president because

they are the figure that pulls us together,” Brinkley said.

On Tuesday night, Douglas Brinkley delivered the 39th installment of the Martin

Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series at Drake University.

Brinkley is a presidential historian, author, educator and conservationist. He has received

national attention for his knowledge on the American presidents and nature conservation.

Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University in Houston, Texas and serves as a history

commentator for CNN.

Brinkley also has a passion for literature. He has written many bestselling books and he is

an editor for Vanity Fair, American Heritage magazine, Audubon Magazine and the Los Angeles

Times Book Review.

Brinkley spoke at Drake University about the history of U.S. presidents and their effect

on the development of our country and conservation. He talked about many influential presidents

but focused on a few that had larger impacts beginning with Abraham Lincoln.

“The figure who always is evergreen is Abraham Lincoln…. Almost every president’s

favorite president is Abraham Lincoln,” Brinkley said.

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Brinkley believes that Lincoln inspired a dominance of Republican presidents up until the

election of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In this span, Brinkley admires Theodore Roosevelt the most

for his work on conservation and nationalism.

“The one that I honor the most and that I find the most interesting is Theodore

Roosevelt…. He constantly struggled to do what is right for America,” Brinkley said.

After World War I, Brinkley suspects that Republican fatigue led to Franklin D.

Roosevelt’s election. Brinkley said that Roosevelt was influential in the development of the

federal government to meet citizen and country needs. Because of his work, Brinkley believes it

was hard for subsequent presidents to make their own impact.

“The American public believed after World War II that the federal government is their

friend. All presidents after FDR live in the shadow of FDR until 1980 when the Reagan

revolution hit,” Brinkley said.

Brinkley believes that Ronald Reagan’s impact is still felt today. He was the first

president after Roosevelt to speak poorly of the federal government which has carried over to our

current political situation.

Brinkley admits that politics have become crazy in recent years. He says that Americans

have not been able to find a paradigm between Roosevelt and Reagan. Despite this, Brinkley still

sees hope.

“I want to remain optimistic…. The most important line that I can tell you is to remember

that your own times are not uniquely oppressive,” Brinkley said.

A generous endowment to Drake University by Martin and Melva Bucksbaum formed the

Bucksbaum Lecture Series in 1996. Martin Bucksbaum was an impactful leader in Des Moines

and served as a member of Drake’s governing board.

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A committee oversees the lecture series. The current members include Mary

Bucksbaum Scanlan, Julian Archer, James Autry, Pamela Bass-Bookey, Michael Gartner, Janis

Ruan and Eleanor Zeff. Past speakers have included Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Dr. Maya Angelou

and Jimmy Carter.

The lecture began at 7 p.m. in the Knapp Center at 2525 Forest Ave. Admission was free

to the event. To learn more about the lecture series, visit www.drake.edu/bucksbaum.

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 Sources:

Douglas Brinkley.

Bucksbaum Lecture Website:

http://www.drake.edu/bucksbaum.

Facebook Event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/291079908040865.