Ken Burns's The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

[Ava]

I DVRd this Special series of two hour episodes. So far, I am into the third one. It is very informative and interesting in traditional Ken Burns expert style and capabilities. I am wondering of the impressions of the Left and the Right as to the accuracy of it all. I did not know Teddy Roosevelt's mother and wife died on the same day, in the same house.

Very informative series.

 

[rightwinger]

I only caught a couple episodes

Burns does great work

 

[Moonglow]

I enjoyed the series and found it to be most accurate according to the many books I have read on the Roosevelt's...
You see by the story that many people in power and well to do families have the same problems as the ones at the poverty level...

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Do they talk about FDR having the worst economic record in recorded history?

 

[rightwinger]

Do they talk about FDR having the worst economic record in recorded history?

They had quite a bit on the Great Depression

 

[Ava]

I only caught a couple episodes

Burns does great work

Peter Coyote and Meryl Streep lend their voices. Coyote narrating expertly. I didn't know Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to redefine the Constitution to suit his ambitions.

 

[Ava]

Do they talk about FDR having the worst economic record in recorded history?

I am wondering if that will be exposed, too. I have 3 more eps. to go through. I am loving it all. The vintage pictures, footage and cinematography which includes original homes.

 

[Camp]

Do they talk about FDR having the worst economic record in recorded history?

They seem to be adhering to actual provable, balanced and non partisan interpretations that rely on facts instead of radical partisan misinformation and conspiracy theories. Probably not a documentary for you.

 

[JakeStarkey]

TR was the father of progressive federalism, which has been the basis of American government for the last 100 years.

My brother, an American historian, says the series is reliably accurate.

 

[gipper]

Don't watch statist propaganda.

It makes you dumb....

 

[Moonglow]

Don't watch statist propaganda.

It makes you dumb....

We knew it would happen, someone brings Rush into every conversation...

 

[Ava]

TR was the father of progressive federalism, which has been the basis of American government for the last 100 years.

My brother, an American historian, says the series is reliably accurate.

Thanks Jake. Historians do differ on vantage points. With which political party does your brother affiliate himself, if any?

Yes, TR was. And America has been growing away from the Constitution and towards progressivism ever since. Where will it end. ( rhetorical question ) I think we are seeing the ending.

 

[Moonglow]

Lincoln was an early progressive as were many after the Constitutional govt. of the USA was started. But they believed that the blacks could not govern themselves and could not be integrated to American society because of the moral and ethical wrongs done to them and that the blacks would never forget and get along with white society...
You did notice that TR had a great appetite for gallons of coffee all day. He would have liked 4 Hour Energy Drink..

 

[Ava]

Don't watch statist propaganda.

It makes you dumb....

I try not to but when it comes to Ken Burns....well....what can I say.....I have to watch anything he does.

Here is someone who found flaws in the mini-series.

Ken Burns Roosevelts Fine But Flawed - The Daily Beast

SNIP:

Arguably America’s most influential historian, Burns fashions a fascinating documentary from the lives of Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor. But his story has grave gaps.

 

[Camp]

Don't watch statist propaganda.

It makes you dumb....

People have told you that just to be kind. It is not really why you are dumb. They just didn't want to tell you the truth. You are dumb because you were born that way. You are old enough now to know the real truth.

 

[Ava]

Lincoln was an early progressive as were many after the Constitutional govt. of the USA was started. But they believed that the blacks could not govern themselves and could not be integrated to American society because of the moral and ethical wrongs done to them and that the blacks would never forget and get along with white society...
You did notice that TR had a great appetite for gallons of coffee all day. He would have liked 4 Hour Energy Drink..

Yes, he seemed high 24/7 and it was even wondered of him, during his reign, if he was mentally stable, as is put forth in the documentary.

Moonglow, it sure would be nice if posters posted a URL to their assertions, if they are quoting another.

And thank you for your responses.

 

[Moonglow]

Here you is...

2. Lincoln didn’t believe blacks should have the same rights as whites.
Though Lincoln argued that the founding fathers’ phrase “All men are created equal” applied to blacks and whites alike, this did not mean he thought they should have the same social and political rights. His views became clear during an 1858 series of debates with his opponent in the Illinois race for U.S. Senate, Stephen Douglas, who had accused him of supporting “negro equality.” In their fourth debate, at Charleston, Illinois, on September 18, 1858, Lincoln made his position clear. “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races,” he began, going on to say that he opposed blacks having the right to vote, to serve on juries, to hold office and to intermarry with whites. What he did believe was that, like all men, blacks had the right to improve their condition in society and to enjoy the fruits of their labor. In this way they were equal to white men, and for this reason slavery was inherently unjust.

Like his views on emancipation, Lincoln’s position on social and political equality for African-Americans would evolve over the course of his presidency. In the last speech of his life, delivered on April 11, 1865, he argued for limited black suffrage, saying that any black man who had served the Union during the Civil War should have the right to vote.

5 Things You May Not Know About Lincoln Slavery and Emancipation History in the Headlines

3. Lincoln thought colonization could resolve the issue of slavery.
For much of his career, Lincoln believed that colonization—or the idea that a majority of the African-American population should leave the United States and settle in Africa or Central America—was the best way to confront the problem of slavery. His two great political heroes, Henry Clay and Thomas Jefferson, had both favored colonization; both were slave owners who took issue with aspects of slavery but saw no way that blacks and whites could live together peaceably. Lincoln first publicly advocated for colonization in 1852, and in 1854 said that his first instinct would be “to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia” (the African state founded by the American Colonization Society in 1821).

 

[Carla_Danger]

I DVRd this Special series of two hour episodes. So far, I am into the third one. It is very informative and interesting in traditional Ken Burns expert style and capabilities. I am wondering of the impressions of the Left and the Right as to the accuracy of it all. I did not know Teddy Roosevelt's mother and wife died on the same day, in the same house.

Very informative series.

I just watched the 6th episode. I love it!!!

 

[JakeStarkey]

AA, my brother is a hard conservative. "Reliable" does not mean agreement with TR's actions.

I wonder who could be 'normal' in that position at that time with AL's background.

Like many American leaders AL hoped colonization would work for removing the african american population but came to realize that it was not possible. Like many republicans and northern democrats of the time, AL came, I believe, to hate the Old South and would it stood for than he dislike blacks.

 

[Ava]

Here you is...

2. Lincoln didn’t believe blacks should have the same rights as whites.
Though Lincoln argued that the founding fathers’ phrase “All men are created equal” applied to blacks and whites alike, this did not mean he thought they should have the same social and political rights. His views became clear during an 1858 series of debates with his opponent in the Illinois race for U.S. Senate, Stephen Douglas, who had accused him of supporting “negro equality.” In their fourth debate, at Charleston, Illinois, on September 18, 1858, Lincoln made his position clear. “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races,” he began, going on to say that he opposed blacks having the right to vote, to serve on juries, to hold office and to intermarry with whites. What he did believe was that, like all men, blacks had the right to improve their condition in society and to enjoy the fruits of their labor. In this way they were equal to white men, and for this reason slavery was inherently unjust.

Like his views on emancipation, Lincoln’s position on social and political equality for African-Americans would evolve over the course of his presidency. In the last speech of his life, delivered on April 11, 1865, he argued for limited black suffrage, saying that any black man who had served the Union during the Civil War should have the right to vote.

5 Things You May Not Know About Lincoln Slavery and Emancipation History in the Headlines

3. Lincoln thought colonization could resolve the issue of slavery.
For much of his career, Lincoln believed that colonization—or the idea that a majority of the African-American population should leave the United States and settle in Africa or Central America—was the best way to confront the problem of slavery. His two great political heroes, Henry Clay and Thomas Jefferson, had both favored colonization; both were slave owners who took issue with aspects of slavery but saw no way that blacks and whites could live together peaceably. Lincoln first publicly advocated for colonization in 1852, and in 1854 said that his first instinct would be “to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia” (the African state founded by the American Colonization Society in 1821).

Thanks so much, Moonie. For me, a sourced link, may or may not lend credibility, but is always appreciated.

From the last paragraph in #5 of your link:

Despite its limitations, Lincoln’s proclamation marked a crucial turning point in the evolution of Lincoln’s views of slavery, as well as a turning point in the Civil War itself. By war’s end, some 200,000 black men would serve in the Union Army and Navy, striking a mortal blow against the institution of slavery and paving the way for its eventual abolition by the 13th Amendment.