The Full Story
Truman's Laramie Stop on the Western United States Tour of 1950
President Truman set out on a tour of the west in 1950 where he wound up inside Laramie, Wyoming’s Arts and Sciences building to speak to an auditorium full of students, educators, and community members about his campaign and the ongoings of the world. Right around the time of the civil war, Truman addressed ideas such as affordable housing and medical care which appealed to the masses during the wartime efforts. It’s the significance of the setting of this speech that inspires his audience as this took place at the University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences building.
​
He traveled to Ohio, Missoula, Cheyenne, Rawlins, Laramie, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and many more throughout his tour, as his goal was to connect with small towns in direct conversation. He purposely spoke to the masses about his policies, including higher minimum wages, low cost housing, stronger social security, and creating a national health insurance plan, all of which were important topics of discussion during the time of the Cold War. With lowered spirits and a fearful economy, Truman wanted to inspire people of smaller towns that as a country they would be taken care of. As an auditorium of people listened to Truman’s words of hope and positivity, history was made and a lasting impression was made on the community of the University of Wyoming.
​
The building was completed in 1936, designed by William Dubois, and given the name The Liberal Arts Building. The honors program found a home in the building which launched the program in 1958. Soon, the theater department found sanctuary in the lower levels, closest to the stage entrances. A couple years after the launch of the honors program, the building undertook a name change that reimagined the building as a home for the arts. The newly named Arts and Sciences building hosts lectures, classes, seminars in the classrooms that surround the vast, open, and story-filled auditorium. In the heart of the building, concerts, speeches, and other large events take place, creating public memory of a space that protects creative freedom and expression.
​
The auditorium doors remain locked unless there is an event which signifies the idea of a sanctuary for the arts. The walls of this place are filled top to bottom which is special to the type of expression that resonates within the walls. It is a busy building and has these extensive staircases that seem never ending that lead to long hallways. This building is especially cool because of how the academic places surround the auditorium as if creating this comforting barrier of knowledge around the product of learning. Creative freedom welcomes all who enter here and you feel accepted when you walk in the doors. These ideas of placemaking reinforce the rhetorical purposes and effects of the building in which these events occur.
​
Rhetoric has no single definition therefore it can be interpreted depending on the topic. According to William Duffy, "One way to understand what makes rhetoric effective is whether it is persuasive, but effective rhetoric can mean other things" (Duffy, 253). If you look at a speech and analyze its rhetorical purposes you can determine that its rhetorical purpose is effective communication. Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Channing explains rhetoric to be "a body of rules derived from experience and observation, extending to all communication by language and designed to make it efficient" (Duffy, 253). To understand the rhetorical and persuasive purpose of Truman's 1950 speech, you must consider the wartime efforts of the government. His goals when speaking to these smaller cities on tour were to effectively speak to the masses about his policies, including higher minimum wages, low cost housing, stronger social security, and creating a national health insurance plan. These concepts were crucial during wartime and therefore effectively encouraged people to stand by him through the war because of all the policies he was putting in place.
As a site of public memory, The Arts & Sciences building continues to protect the creative world and the expression of the students and staff from years ago. As the building stands for liberation and artistic freedom, Truman was able to deliver hope and insight to small communities across the American West and leave a historical mark on the building and the lives of those who witnessed and remember. Remembering the forgotten is the first step to keeping historical moments alive years down the road.