From the outset of the republic, presidents have traversed the nation to meet with and speak to their fellow Americans.  Such travel enabled our nation’s leader to draw closer to those who had elected him.  Designed to close the gap between president and people, travel often now dramatizes the distance that separates the president from the people and reinforces the image of a regal presidency. Listen in as historian and author, Richard Ellis, shares the history of presidential travel and the changing relationship between American presidents and the citizens they serve.

Chicago History Museum’s annual American History series explores the forces that shape us as citizens of a democratic society.  The 2008 series is examining the nation’s highest office – the presidency. Listen in as CHM celebrates various interpretations of our nation’s leaders over the past two centuries.

Recorded Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at Chicago History Museum.