Pivotal U.S. Elections Curriculum

Pivotal U.S. Elections Lesson Plans

Each of the eleven lessons focuses on one U.S. presidential election cycle and utilizes primary source analysis with a set of five primary sources for each election. Lessons address one essential historical question and are designed to be completed in a single 45– to 60–minute class period. Lessons are available to download in a variety of formats and include a slide deck and teacher answer key.

Election of 1800: Origins of American Political Parties

Essential Historical Question:

In what ways did the election of 1800 signify that political parties had become an important part of national politics?

This lesson examines how the election of 1800 revealed deepening divisions in American society about the role and function of government and provides an understanding of the origins of American political parties. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1828: Andrew Jackson and an Expanded Electorate

Essential Historical Question

How accurate is the characterization of this period in U.S. history as the era of the “common man”?

This lesson examines how the election of 1828 was a critical moment in U.S. history, demonstrating the difference that an expanded electorate and political party campaigning can make in election outcomes. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1860: Lincoln’s Evolving Ideas

Essential Historical Question

How did Abraham Lincoln’s views about slavery and the balance of state and federal authority change following the election of 1860?

This lesson examines how the election of 1860 can be used to explore Abraham Lincoln’s evolving political ideas and the impact of his leadership on American society. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1876: The End of Reconstruction

Essential Historical Question

How did the election of 1876 solve an immediate political crisis, and did that solution indicate that the Reconstruction amendments had failed to achieve their goals?

This lesson examines how the election of 1876 marked the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of the backsliding of political, social, and economic advancements made by freed people since the end of the Civil War. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1896: The Populist Movement

Essential Historical Question

What were the political and economic issues that led to the beginnings of Populism, and how did the emergence of the Populist Party impact U.S. society?

This lesson examines the election of 1896 as a way to understand the issues that led to the rise of the populist movement and the impact of the People’s Party on the American political system. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1912: The Progressive Era

Essential Historical Question

In the early decades of the twentieth century, what were the competing visions for how the federal government could resolve the problems of American society?

This lesson examines the election of 1912 as the beginning of a transformation in the role that the federal government played in encouraging progressive values. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1932: The Great Depression

Essential Historical Question

How did the Great Depression shape the election of 1932, and how did the election foreshadow an expanded role for the federal government in U.S. society?

This lesson examines the ways in which differing responses to the unfolding economic crisis of the Great Depression shaped the outcome of an election that greatly expanded the role of the federal government in the lives of ordinary American citizens. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1960: A Vision for the Future

Essential Historical Question

To what extent can the election of 1960 be seen as a barometer of Americans’ views about the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War, both during the election and in the years immediately following?

This lesson examines how the two main issues of the election of 1960—the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement—were interrelated in the visions offered about America’s future by the two candidates and how Kennedy made policy shifts on both issues over the course of his short presidency. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1968: Conservative Response

Essential Historical Question

In what way can the election of Richard M. Nixon in 1968 be understood as a response to the growing discontent about race relations and U.S. involvement in Vietnam?

This lesson examines the ways in which growing discontent about race relations and cynicism about the Vietnam War—exemplified in increasing social upheaval and protests—caused many voters to embrace a conservative candidate for president. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 1980: Conservative Resurgence

Essential Historical Question

In what ways did Reagan’s victory in the presidential election of 1980 represent a resurgence of conservative values and the end of the New Deal coalition in U.S. society?

This lesson examines the ways in which the election of 1980 represented a resurgence of conservative ideology that ended the New Deal coalition that had largely dominated American politics for much of the previous five decades. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Election of 2000: The Supreme Court and the Presidency

Essential Historical Question

How did the outcome of the election of 2000 represent the evolving relationship among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government?

This lesson examines the larger constitutional question of how the election of 2000 affected the relationship among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government. It is designed for students currently studying U.S. history or government in the classroom and scaled to the 11th grade TEKS. Lessons can also be used with younger students with some modifications.

Curriculum Guide

The curriculum guide introduces teachers to the Pivotal U.S. Election curriculum and related instructional materials.

TEKS Correlation

Lessons are designed to support the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) but are also widely relevant to Common Core standards. The correlation document ties each lesson to TEKS standards.

Additional Resources

The Pivotal U.S. Elections curriculum offers teachers and students the chance to explore any of the included elections in greater depth through additional resources and optional extension activities.

The happy effects of that grand systom sic of shutting ports against the English!!, Cruikshank, 1808. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Abraham Lincoln-Hannibal Hamlin campaign button for 1860 presidential election. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
From a Currier & Ives campaign banner for the 1876 Republican presidential ticket depicting Ohio governor Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
A cartoon by Clifford K. Berryman depicting Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and William Howard Taft on the eve of the contentious 1912 election. U.S. Senate Collection, Center for Legislation Archives, National Archives and Records Administration.
From a Punch cartoon by Leonard Raven-Hill depicting the perceived aggression between William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, 1912.
Franklin D. Roosevelt during his 1932 campaign with Anna Roosevelt Halsted and Eleanor Roosevelt in Warm Springs, Georgia, enroute from his cottage to the train station. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
John F. Kennedy's White House office replicated at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Large crowd at a National Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam direct action demonstration, Washington, DC, 1967. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Ronald Reagan giving his acceptance speech at the 1980 Republican National Convention. National Archives and Records Administration.