Western Illinois University

A Foundation for Sustainable Rural Community Development

Introduction

President Theodore Roosevelt’s Country Life Commission Report (text) emerged in a confluence of activities destined to have lasting impact on the United States. The Progressive Era of a century ago marked both a reaction to corporate abuses and a positive plan to rebuild faith in a government that had lost its moral compass. The reformers wanted to restore government, conserve natural resources, and build an economy that offered opportunities for everyone, rural or urban.

Roosevelt appointed the Country Life Commission in 1908 as his term was about to end. Later administrations tried to ignore the report after it was issued in March, 1909. The sheer force of Roosevelt’s persona certainly helped keep the ideas vital. In addition, the commission’s members represented a broad swath of agricultural and rural educators and journalists. Several of these members, with their expertise, energy, and passion, also kept the commission’s ideas alive.

Perhaps most importantly, the commission’s own approach to understanding rural America helped create its legacy. Members were pressed for time and used budding social science methods to gather information quickly and build support from rural farm communities. They held well-publicized hearings nationwide. They did a survey. Although the commissioners certainly had preconceived notions, members listened to rural residents and included some of their ideas in the final report and recommendations. They offered a vision for rural America and called farm constituents to work with their schools and churches to strengthen farming communities.

The commission’s scientific methods and institutional approach are a foundation for rural community development research and practice, as well as rural sociology, which have expanded tremendously in the past century. This website is a celebration of the Country Life Commission’s centennial and its descendant, the American Country Life Association. The pages follow the commission’s continuing impacts on rural community development and sustainability.

Thanks to Stephen R. Hicks, a graduate student from the History Department at Western Illinois University, who spent most of his assistantship with the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs researching and drafting much of the information for this website. His passion for Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era flows through this work.

Timothy Collins

Assistant Director

Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Appreciation

We express our gratitude and appreciation for the legacy left by Kenyon Butterfield, Liberty Hyde Bailey, William L. Bowers, and numerous others, which was extremely helpful in assembling this web page.

We would also like to recognize former ACLA President Gene Wunderlich. His book, American Country Life: A Legacy, provided numerous details for this website.