The Significance of the Frontier in Eisenhower History

The Significance of the Frontier in Eisenhower History

Ike 125 Series: Final Program Celebrates Ike's 125th Birthday

The fifth and final program in the Ike 125 lecture series commemorating the 125th anniversary of the birth of Dwight David Eisenhower will be presented by Tim Rives, Deputy Director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. The title of his program is "The Significance of the Frontier in Eisenhower History."

Rives will present the program both in Kansas City and Abilene. The Kansas City event opens with a reception at 6 p.m. and the program at 6:30 on Tues., Oct. 13 at the Plaza Branch - Kansas City Public Library. In Abilene, Rives will speak on Wed., Oct. 14 at noon for a Brown Bag Lunch program including light hors d'oeuvres at the Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center Auditorium. Birthday cake will also be served in honor of President Dwight D.Eisenhower's 125th Birthday.

2015 commemorates not only the 125th anniversary of Eisenhower's birth, but also the U.S. Census Bureau's declaration that the American frontier had closed. Rives will explain that these two events are not unrelated.

Like other progressives of his generation, Eisenhower saw the extinction of the frontier as the end of the first phase of American history, and the beginning of a new age in which the federal government would replace the lost reservoir of free land and abundant resources with economic cooperation and individual security through social programs. More than any other single factor, Eisenhower's interpretation of the vanished frontier is what distinguishes his "Middle Way" political philosophy from the conservative wing of the Republican Party he led through two terms as President.

Rives is the deputy director and supervisory archivist of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. He is a graduate of Wichita State University and Emporia State University and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Ike 125 is made possible by the generous support of the W.T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee. The Ike 125 series examines the legacy of the greatest soldier-statesman of the 20th century - from his unquestionably brilliant wartime command to two terms as U.S. President that are viewed with increasing favor by historians and political scientists. It was a time of momentous change, bringing historic civil rights legislation, the Interstate Highway System, space exploration, and a prudent foreign policy that gave the country eight years of peace and prosperity. The series lends fresh analysis and new views of the plain-spoken Kansan who became a model of leadership.

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

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