America's 250th

Biography

Dr. Markie McBrayer is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Idaho where she teaches American politics, public policy, and statistics. Her research focuses on local and state politics and policy, particularly social policy, housing, and gentrification in the United States. Her work has appeared in Political Research Quality, Urban Affairs Review, and Policy Studies Journal.

Presentation

Politics & Parties

In the history of the United States, all presidents represented a political party, with the exception of one. Founding Father, George Washington, was elected before a party system emerged, although political parties began to form while he was in office. Washington believed that political parties would divide and destroy the United States, warning in his Farewell Address in 1796, ‘[a party system] serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one party against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”   In this presentation, Dr. Markie McBrayer will discuss the party systems and the evolution of political parties over time.

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Biography

Dr. F. Ross Peterson, a native of Montpelier, Idaho, graduated from USU with a degree in History. He received his PhD in American Studies from Washington State University in 1968. After three years at the University of Texas at Arlington, he returned to USU in 1971 where he served as Professor of American history for thirty-three years. In 1986, he established the Mountain West Center and served as its director for over a decade. He was President of Deep Springs College in California from 2004-2007 before returning again to USU as Vice President for Advancement, where he helped conduct the University's first comprehensive campaign. Author of numerous books on the American West, Ross maintains that his great love is teaching. In 1998, Governor Michael Leavitt and Utah Humanities Council presented him with the Governor's Outstanding Humanist Award for the state of Utah, and in 2015 he was named the Wayne Aspinall Chair in Western history at Colorado Mesa University. Ross and his wife, Kay, are the parents of three married sons and have eleven grandchildren.

Presentation

Becoming Idaho

In 1976, at the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, the Bicentennial History Project produced a book on each state to help mark the occasion. Dr. Ross Peterson wrote the book on Idaho. In this presentation he includes personal and inspiring anecdotes from his experiences during the Bicentennial while he also explores what Idaho means to the United States of America and our national story. Idaho, despite its different geography and the 800-mile trek from Montpelier to Bonners Ferry, became a unified entity through the evolution of certain values: appreciation of water, the environment, hard work, and cooperation.  Idaho's people, settlers and natives, provide a powerful example of how Americans have come together to forge a strong union despite our differences.

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Biography

Randy’L is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall, Idaho. In 1998, Randy’L was chosen as the Shoshone model for the US Golden Dollar coin aka the Sacajawea dollar coin. Randy'L Teton is a distinguished communications professional with over a decade and a half of experience in Public Relations and government relations. Her expertise lies in tribal relations and community engagement, areas in which she has made significant contributions throughout her career. In addition to her Public Relations work with the federal government, Randy Teton's expertise also includes museum studies, Native American studies, and fine arts, indicating a commitment to cultural preservation. Teton is a proud citizen of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall, Idaho. Teton's roots are deeply embedded in the Fort Hall Reservation, where she spent her formative years. Her upbringing in the Lincoln Creek District is where her grandfather raised his family and owned 150 acres, all of which remain within the family. Randy’L is a 3rd-generation landowner of the original Fort Hall Reservation. This vibrant community instilled in her a love for the fresh air, sagebrush, deer meat & potatoes, and clean water that Idaho is known for. Randy'L currently resides in Idaho with her three children. Beyond her professional endeavors, she has a passion for writing. In 2024, she published a children’s book titled “It’s Her Story: Sacajawea,” which gained acclaim and was listed on Amazon as one of the “Best Selling Children’s Books.” This work reflects her ongoing commitment to sharing and celebrating Native American stories and perspectives.

Presentation

The Authentic Story of Sacajawea: A Shoshone Perspective

Randy’L Teton, the model for the US Sacajawea Coin, shares an intimate portrait of the courageous Sacajawea, the Shoshone guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Learn about Sacajawea's vital role in American history from the unique, authentic perspective of her own people, the Shoshone of Idaho.

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Biography

David Gray Adler is President of The Alturas Institute, a non-profit educational organization created to defend American democracy by promoting the Constitution, civic education, equal protection and women’s rights. Adler’s scholarly writings have been quoted by the U.S. Supreme Court, lower federal courts, the U.S. Attorney General, the White House Counsel, the Legal Adviser to the State Department, by Republicans and Democrats in both houses of congress, as well as political scientists, historians and legal scholars. The recipient of teaching, writing and civic awards, Adler has lectured nationally and internationally, and published widely, on the Constitution, presidential power and the Bill of Rights. He is the author of six books including, most recently, The War Power in an Age of Terrorism, as well as more than 100 scholarly articles in the leading journals in his field. He is currently writing a book on Reed v. Reed, which had its origins in Idaho and transformed the law for American women.  Adler has taught courses on the Constitution and the Supreme Court at all three universities in Idaho. He held the James and Louise McClure Professorship at the University of Idaho, where he was a member of the faculty of law; the Cecil Andrus Professorship at Boise State University and was Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at Idaho State University. He has consulted with members of Congress from both parties on a variety of constitutional issues, including impeachment, the war power and the termination of treaties. He has delivered more than 900 public lectures and writes a weekly column on the Constitution that runs in more than 60 newspapers across several states.  A frequent commentator on state and national events, Adler’s lectures have aired on C-Span, and he has done interviews with the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, National Review, The Nation Magazine, Mother Jones, Fox News, NPR, NBC, CNN and the BBC. Adler has served as member of the Board of Directors of various academic, corporate and civic organizations, and was a founding member of the City Club of Idaho Falls. Adler earned his BA from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah.

Presentation

Declaration of Independence 101

In June 1776, the Continental Congress formed a drafting committee to compose a “common sense” explanation, in “terms so plain and firm, as to command assent” for why the American colonies should dissolve all political connection” with Great Britain. Not all of the delegates to the Continental Congress, like the people they represented, wanted to become independent from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson, the main author, wrote that “all men are created equal” and outlined the foundational principles of a new American nation. What are these foundational principles and what have they meant to Americans and other peoples living under the burden of oppression and ignorance? How has the Declaration of Independence inspired Americans and others to overturn the power of tyrants and to fight for equality?  In this presentation, historical and legal scholar Dr. David Adler will discuss the Declaration of Independence and what it has meant to the United States and to the world.

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