The Making of the US President: A Short History in Five Elections
- 4.5
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Approx. 20 hours to complete
Course Summary
This course explores the complex process of electing the US President, from the primaries and caucuses to the Electoral College. You will learn about the history of the American electoral system, the role of media in elections, and the impact of money on campaigns.Key Learning Points
- Understand the history and evolution of the US electoral system
- Explore the role of media in presidential campaigns
- Examine the impact of money on political campaigns
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the US electoral system from start to finish
- Develop critical thinking skills to analyze political campaigns
- Explore the impact of media and money on elections
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Basic knowledge of American politics
- Interest in the electoral process
Course Difficulty Level
IntermediateCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
- Video lectures
- Quizzes and assignments
Similar Courses
- Campaigns and Elections
- The Modern Political Campaign
Related Education Paths
Notable People in This Field
- Nate Silver
- Rachel Maddow
Related Books
Description
As Donald Trump takes office as the forty-fifth president of the United States, this course explores presidential elections in historical perspective, via five case studies. It tells the story of key campaigns in US history, and by doing so it investigates how politics changed over time—and how understanding the past sheds light on the current campaign. From the arrival of "dirty politics" to the impact of the "digital revolution," the course looks at the historical background to some of the key phenomena that shaped the controversy-laden campaign of 2016.
Outline
- The Election of 1800
- Setting the Scene 1: Federalists and Republicans
- Setting the Scene 2: Issues--Hamilton vs. Jefferson; the French Revolution
- Setting the Scene 3: The Election of 1796; the Quasi-War
- Adams and Pinckney
- Jefferson and Burr
- Hamilton
- The Electoral College
- Voting
- The 1800 Campaign 1
- The 1800 Campaign 2
- The Press and the 1800 Campaign
- The Electoral College Meets
- Deadlock in Congress
- Jefferson's Deal?
- The Inauguration
- The Revolution of 1800?
- Interview: Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter S. Onuf
- Interview: Joanne B. Freeman
- Interview: Gaye Wilson
- The New Nation
- Joanne B. Freeman, "The Presidential Election of 1800: A Story of Crisis, Controversy, and Change."
- [Optional Reading] Alexander Hamilton's attack on John Adams, October 24, 1800
- Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
- Interviews with Historians
- Practice Quiz – The Election of 1800
- The Election of 1860
- The Election of 1860
- Parties and Voting
- Conventions and Platforms
- Outcomes and Consequences
- Roundtable: The impact of the 1860 election
- Round-up discussion: Friday, October 28, Was the 1800 presidential election the 'nastiest' in American history?
- The Pre-Civil War Era & the Sectional Crisis
- Caleb Bingham (1853-1854)
- “Political Parties in the United States, 1820–1860”
- Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1860
- 1860 Republican Platform
- Primary Sources: Secession
- “Presidential Election of 1860: A Resource Guide,” Library of Congress.
- Practice Quiz – The Election of 1860
- Week 1 Quiz - Nineteenth-Century Elections
- The Election of 1968
- Introduction
- The Impact of Tet
- The New Hampshire Primary
- Presidential Primaries
- Democratic Primaries 1968
- Issues I: Law and Order
- Issues II: The Impact of Vietnam
- The Results
- Conclusion
- The Sixties, the 'Unraveling', and 1968
- Primary Sources – Responses to Vietnam: Walter Cronkite and the 'Wise Men'
- Primary Source – President Johnson's March 31st Speech
- Primaries
- Primary Sources about the 1968 Election – Party Platforms, Humphrey's Campaign, and Riots in Chicago
- Primary Sources: Humphrey/Johnson Discuss Vietnam, LeMay/Wallace Press Conference, and LBJ Halts Bombing in Vietnam
- Voting Map, Statistics, and Results
- Practice Quiz - The Election of 1968
- The Election of 1980
- The making of the US president, 1980
- The history of presidential debates
- The Carter-Reagan presidential debate
- Conservative ascendancy and electoral eras
- The gender gap
- Roundtable Discussion: Week 2
- Context
- Secondary reading on liberalism's travails and the 1980 election
- Primary sources on the 1980 presidential campaign
- The development and significance of presidential debates on television
- Optional primary source: the Carter-Reagan debate
- Turning points and "realignments" in electoral history
- Exploring the "gender gap" in voting
- Data on the gender gap
- Practice Quiz – The Election of 1980
- Week 2 Quiz – Twentieth-Century Elections
- The Election of 2008
- Mike Moffo on the making of the US president in 2008
- Jon Kelly on the making of the US president in 2008
- Nicol Rae on the making of the US president in 2008
- Roundtable on 2008 election
- Exploring the election of Barack Obama
- "Barack Obama: Campaigns and Elections"
- Background reading (optional): The American Yawp on recent US history
- Primary Sources – Campaign Commercials
- About Mike Moffo
- About Jon Kelly
- About Nicol Rae
- Practice Quiz – The Election of 2008
- The Election of 2016
- Roundtable: Discusssion following the 2016 election
- Discussing Donald Trump's inaugural address
- Exploring the political battle via campaign commercials
- Roundtable discussion after the 2016 election
- Exploring Donald Trump's inaugural address in historical perspective
- Week 3 Quiz – The Election of 2016 and Historical Parallels
Summary of User Reviews
Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
The course provides a detailed historical perspective on the making of the US presidentPros from User Reviews
- Engaging lectures by knowledgeable instructors
- In-depth analysis of US presidential campaigns
- Insightful discussions on the role of media in shaping public opinion
- Well-structured course content with plenty of resources for further reading
Cons from User Reviews
- Some sections may be too detailed for beginners
- Limited interaction with instructors and fellow students
- No quizzes or assessments to test understanding
- Requires a significant time commitment to complete
Frank Cogliano
4.5 Raiting
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