Scope and Contents:
This collection contains two letters from Theodore Roosevelt and a note from Lawrence M. Larson, a professor at the University of Illinois.
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States (1901-1909). Roosevelt continued to be politically active following his time as President and was in vocal opposition of President Woodrow Wilson's neutral stance in World War I. He advocated for U.S. preparation to mobilize and, once Congress issued a declaration of war, criticized Wilson's previous unwillingness to do so. In 1917, Roosevelt campaigned across the country in order to rally support for the War effort. He died two years later in 1919 from poor health.
The collection contains two letters dated March 12, 1915 and October 25, 1917, and a note dated January 21, 1925. The first letter is from Roosevelt to Walter Colyer (Albion, IL) thanking him for a previous letter. The second letter is from Roosevelt to Lawrence M. Larson, a professor in the Department of History at the University of Illinois. In this letter Roosevelt reacts to coverage of his speeches in a German-American paper, which had interpreted them as an excuse to sneer at America. The note is from Larson to the Illinois Historical Survey and describes the context of his letter from Roosevelt.
The Illinois Historical Survey, predecessor of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, acquired this collection from Professor Lawrence M. Larson sometime before 1976.
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