Spanish-American War hero Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901, and during his two terms in office he worked vigorously to regulate big business, encourage conservation programs and expand America's role in foreign affairs. The mural shows Roosevelt giving one of his characteristically enthusiastic speeches. Directly below him, journalist H.L. Mencken takes notes.
Left: The construction of the Panama Canal, for which Roosevelt worked enthusiastically, is shown; the canal opened in 1914.
Right: Gifford Pinchot, chief of the Forest Service and America's first professional forester, stands beside a tree; he assisted Roosevelt's development of conservation programs.
About the Cox Corridors Murals
The first floor of the U.S. Capitol's House wing is elaborately decorated with wall and ceiling murals by artist Allyn Cox. The central east-west corridor is referred to as the Great Experiment Hall because it chronicles in 16 murals the legislative milestones of three centuries, from the signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1629 to the enactment of women's suffrage in 1920.