U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
FROM THE FOUNDING OF THE REPUBLIC UNTIL TODAY
DRAFT Workshop Syllabus
As March 10, 2017
Objective
To learn about the history of the American presidential election system.
Description
Donald Trump’s win showed that nothing is for certain whatever the pundits and
pollsters may say. Join us in studying the crowning of Washington in 1789, the arrival of
democracy with Jackson, the election that sparked the Civil War, the 1896 Cross of
Gold contest, the invention of party primaries in the early 20th century and the impact of
Big Money and populist demagoguery in our own time. As H. L. Mencken said, “A
national political campaign is better than the best circus ever heard of, with a mass
baptism and a couple of hangings thrown in."
Mode of Operation:
The workshop will meet from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Week 1 Tuesdays. Sessions will
follow the standard Academy format: two presentations, each running 25-30 minutes,
followed by questions and group discussion. Presentations will normally cover the
electoral system in force at the time, the parties contesting the election, the presidential
and vice-presidential candidates, the campaign managers, the major issues and events,
the outcome of the election and the factors explaining the outcome. Should the
workshop not be fully subscribed, open presentation slots will be filled with film
excerpts, video lectures or guest speakers.
Presentation Topics
Workshop participants will be asked to choose their topics in July from the list below
(Click on the hyperlinks in the table for further information about the topics. Topics will
be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Note that these are suggested topics.
Workshops participants who want to present on elections other than those listed are
free to do so subject to consultation with the facilitators.
1
Session
Hour 1
Hour 2
1
America’s Presidential Election
System*
1800: The Emergence of Political
Parties*
2
1824: The End of the Era of Good
Feelings
1828/32: The Age of Jackson
3
1840/44/48: Democrats vs. Whigs
1856: Party Realignment
4
1860/64: The Civil War
1876: The End of Reconstruction
5
1896: The Gilded Age & Populism
1912: The Progressive Era
1920: The Return to Normalcy
1928: America’s First Catholic
President?
7
1932/36: The Great Depression
1940: The Slide toward War
8
1948: Four-Way Race, Great
Surprise
1952: The Inevitable President
9
1960/64: Close Election, Followed
by Landslide
1968/72: The Nixon Era
10
1980: Initiating the Reagan Era
1992: Three-Way Race
2000: Hanging Chads
2008: America’s First Black
President
6
11
Debate: Should/Can the U.S.
Election System Be Changed?
*Presentations to be made by the facilitators.
12
2016/20
Resources
Once a participant has selected a topic, he/she will receive some material from the
facilitators designed to serve as the starting point for research. The World Wide Web
can also be a great place to start (witness the links to Wikipedia in the topics list), find
images and videos for a slideshow and ferret out a needle-in-a-haystack statistic or
other fact. However, presenters are expected to move on the excellent books available
from the Toronto Public Library (see the bibliography on the next page. While many of
these are “for reference only,” it is often possible to obtain a circulating copy through the
library’s interlibrary loan policy. If that doesn’t work. check with the facilitators; they may
be able to obtain a circulating copy for you from another source.
Facilitators
Mirren Hinchley ([email protected]) – chief point of contact for selection of
topics and scheduling of presentations.
Frank Nicholson. ([email protected] / 416-488-6131) – available for consultation
re research strategies and sources.
2
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Note: The World Wide Web can be a tremendous place to start research (witness the
links to Wikipedia entries in the topics list), find images and videos for a slideshow and
ferret out a needle-in-a-haystack statistic or fact. However, presenters are expected to
move on from the Web to the many excellent books available from Toronto’s libraries.
GENERAL WORKS
Election-by-Election Compendia
Presidential campaigns: from George Washington to George W. Bush
Boller, Paul F.
2004. xiii, 479 p. ;
American presidential campaigns and elections
Campbell, Ballard C.; Coenen, Craig R.; Shade, William G.
2003. 3 v. (xxxi, 1137, I1-43 p.):
Selecting the president: from 1789 to 1996.
Congressional Quarterly
1997. viii, 240 p.:
The coming to power; critical presidential elections in American history.
[1st ed.]
Schlesinger, Arthur M.
1972. xxi, 550 p.
History of American presidential elections, 1789-1968.
Schlesinger, Arthur M. (Arthur Meier, ed.
1971. 4 v. (xxxvii, 3959 p.)
On the campaign trail: the long road of presidential politics, 1860-2004
1st ed.
Schoen, Douglas E
2004. xx, 395 p.:
Other General Works
America at the polls; a handbook of American presidential election statistics, 19201964.
Elections Research Center (Governmental Affairs Institute)
1965. 521 p.
3
Ballot battles: the history of disputed elections in the United States
Foley, Edward B.
2016. xii, 479 pages:
The first American political conventions: transforming presidential nominations, 18321872
Haynes, Stan M., 19572012. viii, 268 p.:
Presidential also-rans and running mates, 1788-1980
Southwick, Leslie H., 19501984. xiii, 722 p. ;
The runner-up presidency: the elections that defied America's popular will (and how our
democracy remains in danger)
Weston, Mark, 1953- author.
2016. 224 pages.
America in search of itself: the making of the President, 1956-1980
1st ed. -White, Theodore H. (Theodore Harold), 1915-1986
1982. viii, 465 p.:
ELECTION-SPECIFIC WORKS
1800 Election
Adams vs. Jefferson: the tumultuous election of 1800
Ferling, John E.
2004. 260 p.
+ eAudio2011
A magnificent catastrophe: the tumultuous election of 1800: America's first presidential
campaign
Larson, Edward J. (Edward John)
2007. xi, 335 p.
The American revolution of 1800 how Jefferson rescued democracy from tyranny and
faction-and what this means today : fortieth anniversary edition
1st ed.
Sisson, Dan, 1937e2014. 1 online resource (1 v.)
4
America afire: Jefferson, Adams, and the revolutionary election of 1800
1st ed.
Weisberger, Bernard A., 19222000. vi, 345 p. ;
1824 Election
The one-party presidential contest: Adams, Jackson, and 1824's five-horse race
Donald Ratcliffe.
Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas, [2015]
xiii, 354 p.: ill. ; 25 cm.
U of T Library System1
1828 Election
The birth of modern politics: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the election of
1828
Parsons, Lynn H.
2009. xviii, 252 p., [16] p. of plates:
1840 Election
William Henry Harrison
1st ed.
Collins, Gail.
2012. xviii, 153 p. ;
1844 Election
Polk: the man who transformed the presidency and America
1st ed.
Borneman, Walter R., 19522008. xxiii, 422 p.:
1848 Election
Party over section: the rough and ready presidential election of 1848
Silbey, Joel H.
2009. xiv, 205 p.:
1
See the Facilitators to obtain a circulating copy of this book.
5
1856 Election
Ordeal of the Union
Nevins, Allan, 1890-1971.
1947. Vol. 2
1860 Election
Year of meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the election that brought on
the Civil War
1st U.S. ed.
Egerton, Douglas R.
2010. 399 p.:
1864 Election
Reelecting Lincoln: the battle for the 1864 presidency
Waugh, John C.
2001. x, 452 p., [8] p. of plates:
1876 Election
Fraud of the century: Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel Tilden, and the stolen election of
1876
Morris, Roy, Jr.
2003. 310 p.:
1896 Election
The triumph of William McKinley: why the election of 1896 still matters
Rove, Karl, author.
2015. 496 pages
1912 Election
Four hats in the ring: the 1912 election and the birth of modern American politics
Gould, Lewis L.
2008. xvii, 235 p.:
6
1920 Election
1920: the year of the six presidents
1st Carroll & Graf ed.
Pietrusza, David, 19492007. 533 p.:
1928 Election
Prejudice and the old politics: the Presidential election of 1928
Lichtman, Allan J.
1979. xiii, 366 p. ;
1932 Election
Electing FDR: the New Deal campaign of 1932
Ritchie, Donald A., 19452007. x, 274 p.:
1936 Election
The buying of the presidency?: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, and the election of
1936
Sheppard, Si, 19722014. xiv, 302 pages,14 unnumbered pages of plates ;
1940 Election
1940: FDR, Willkie, Lindbergh, Hitler--the election amid the storm
Dunn, Susan, 19452013. viii, 418 p., [8] p. of plates
1948 Election
1948: Harry Truman's improbable victory and the year that transformed America's role
in the world
Pietrusza, David, 19492011. xxiii, 520 p.:
1952 Election
Just plain Dick: Richard Nixon's Checkers speech and the "rocking, socking" election of
1952
1st U.S. ed.
Mattson, Kevin, 19662012. 260 p. ;
7
1960 Election
The real making of the president: Kennedy, Nixon, and the 1960 election
Rorabaugh, W. J.
2009. x, 250 p.:
1964 Election
A glorious disaster: Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign and the origins of the
conservative movement
Middendorf, John William, 19242006. xiii, 303 p., [16] p. of plates:
1968 Election
American Maelstrom: the 1968 election and politics of division
Cohen, Michael A., 1971- author.
2016. 496 pages
1972 Election
Fear and loathing on the campaign trail '72
Unabridged.
Thompson, Hunter S.
1973. 506 p.:
+eAudiobook
1980 Election
The right moment: Ronald Reagan's first victory and the decisive turning point in
American politics
Dallek, Matthew, 19692000. xi, 284 p., [8] p. of plates:
1992 Election
Ross for boss: the Perot phenomenon and beyond
2001. xiv, 188 p.:
2000 Election
The perfect tie: the true story of the 2000 presidential election
Ceaser, James W.
2001. ix, 283 p. ;
8
2008 Election
Game change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the race of a lifetime
1st ed.
Heilemann, John, 19662010. xiii, 448 p. ;
2016/20 Elections
To come!
9