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When America declared war on Spain in 1898, the U.S. Army had just 26,000 men, spread around the country—hardly an army at all. 

In desperation, the Rough Riders were born. A unique group of volunteers, ranging from Ivy League athletes to Arizona cowboys and led by Theodore Roosevelt, they helped secure victory in Cuba in a series of gripping, bloody fights across the island.

Roosevelt called their charge in the Battle of San Juan Hill his “crowded hour”—a turning point in his life, one that led directly to the White House. “The instant I received the order,” wrote Roosevelt, “I sprang on my horse and then my ‘crowded hour’ began.”

Join us at Perry World House for a discussion of the history and legacy of the Spanish-American War with Clay Risen, author of the critically acclaimed new book The Crowded Hour.

SPEAKER

Clay Risen, the deputy op-ed editor at The New York Times, is the author of several popular American histories, including A Nation on Fire: America in the Wake of the King Assassination, The Bill of the Century: The Epic Battle for the Civil Rights Act, and his latest book The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders and the Dawn of the American Century.

Risen has also written a groundbreaking guide to American whiskey, American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye: A Guide to the Nation’s Favorite Spirit, which placed Risen at the top of authorities on the history, business, and diversity of U.S. spirits. Risen has given numerous talks, appeared on television, and served as a judge on multiple spirit award committees. Risen has written widely about spirits for newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Forbes, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and two young children.