THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN

I just spent the last couple of hours listening to Teddy Roosevelt speeches. I use them in class to allow the students to hear the voices of the people we are studying. We are currently in the Progressive Era and TR is a driving force of the movement. The use of Progressive in this context seems so innocent compared to the hijacking of the term by the likes of the lefties who proclaim it now.

TR was concerned about working conditions for laborers. It is instructive that his concern for workers followed an absolutely horrible fire that occurred in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on March 25, 1911 that claimed the lives of over 145 young women and men who were working in the sweatshop. The owner had locked most of the doors of the factory out of a fear that the workers would steal from him and leave through the doors. We listened to a recording of a woman who had survived the fire. The recording was made by her family in 1986, 75 years after the fire. You could've heard a pin drop in class as the students heard this 94 year old woman relive her nightmare.

Most of TR's speeches that are available were recorded during the 1912 campaign. As usual the students look forward to their guest teacher. Tomorrow it's TR.

I posted this song from The Band to provide some entertainment. It's the best version of this song and simply no one else who recorded this song can come close. Joan Who?