About this course: 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. The five elections that we'll investigate are among the most significant in American political history. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson won the presidency in a contest that encouraged politicians to reform the electoral college, the system by which presidents are still chosen. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 prompted the outbreak of the Civil War. It's an election that helps us to understand the development of political parties. In 1968, the Vietnam War was a dominant concern for Americans, and yet foreign policy played a secondary role in Richard Nixon's victory. Twelve years later, in 1980, Ronald Reagan won an election that initiated a new era of conservatism. Finally, we'll turn our attention to the election that took Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, to the White House in 2008. Many saw the Obama's success not only as revealing the impact of the digital revolution on campaign politics, but also as signaling a turn to progressivism. Image credits: Course logo - "Former President Truman holds a copy of the famous Chicago Daily Tribune paper declaring 'Dewey Defeats Truman'" Harry S. Truman Library & Museum (https://www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/view.php?id=38592). Course banner - "US Flag Backlit" by Joshua Nathanson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Flag_Backlit.jpg).
Who is this class for: This course is for everyone who is interested in exploring—in the aftermath of the eventful 2016 campaign, and as the new president takes office—the history of presidential elections in the United States.
Created by: The University of Edinburgh
Taught by: Frank Cogliano, Professor of American History
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Taught by: David Silkenat, Lecturer
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Taught by: Fabian Hilfrich, Senior Lecturer in American History
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Taught by: Robert Mason, Professor of Twentieth-Century U.S. History
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | Three weeks of study, 3-4 hours/week. |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
The Election of 1800
The stormy election of 1800 culminated in the election of Thomas Jefferson as president, but it also played an important role in encouraging American politicians to reform the electoral college, which remains the system by which presidents are chosen.
19 videos, 5 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Setting the Scene 1: Federalists and Republicans
- Reading: The New Nation
- Video: Setting the Scene 2: Issues--Hamilton vs. Jefferson; the French Revolution
- Video: Setting the Scene 3: The Election of 1796; the Quasi-War
- Video: Adams and Pinckney
- Video: Jefferson and Burr
- Video: Hamilton
- Discussion Prompt: Issues
- Video: The Electoral College
- Video: Voting
- Reading: Joanne B. Freeman, "The Presidential Election of 1800: A Story of Crisis, Controversy, and Change."
- Reading: [Optional Reading] Alexander Hamilton's attack on John Adams, October 24, 1800
- Video: The 1800 Campaign 1
- Video: The 1800 Campaign 2
- Video: The Press and the 1800 Campaign
- Video: The Electoral College Meets
- Video: Deadlock in Congress
- Video: Jefferson's Deal?
- Video: The Inauguration
- Reading: Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
- Video: The Revolution of 1800?
- Reading: Interviews with Historians
- Video: Interview: Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter S. Onuf
- Video: Interview: Joanne B. Freeman
- Video: Interview: Gaye Wilson
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz – The Election of 1800
- Discussion Prompt: The Revolution of 1800
The Election of 1860
With four candidates seeking the White House in 1860, the election of Abraham Lincoln prompted South Carolina's secession, the establishment of the Confederate States of America, and the Civil War. Exploring the 1860 election helps us to understand the development of political parties, voting, and radicalism in American politics.
6 videos, 7 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: The Election of 1860
- Reading: The Pre-Civil War Era & the Sectional Crisis
- Video: Parties and Voting
- Reading: Caleb Bingham (1853-1854)
- Reading: “Political Parties in the United States, 1820–1860”
- Video: Conventions and Platforms
- Reading: Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1860
- Reading: 1860 Republican Platform
- Discussion Prompt: Issues
- Video: Outcomes and Consequences
- Reading: Primary Sources: Secession
- Reading: “Presidential Election of 1860: A Resource Guide,” Library of Congress.
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz – The Election of 1860
- Discussion Prompt: Consequences
- Video: Roundtable: The impact of the 1860 election
- Video: Round-up discussion: Friday, October 28, Was the 1800 presidential election the 'nastiest' in American history?
Graded: Week 1 Quiz - Nineteenth-Century Elections
WEEK 2
The Election of 1968
The problems that America faced in fighting the Vietnam War forced Lyndon Johnson to withdraw his candidacy for reelection, and the war would be seen as a leading factor in the victory of Richard Nixon. But how important was, and is, foreign policy in American domestic politics?
9 videos, 7 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction
- Video: The Impact of Tet
- Video: The New Hampshire Primary
- Reading: The Sixties, the 'Unraveling', and 1968
- Reading: Primary Sources – Responses to Vietnam: Walter Cronkite and the 'Wise Men'
- Reading: Primary Source – President Johnson's March 31st Speech
- Video: Presidential Primaries
- Video: Democratic Primaries 1968
- Reading: Primaries
- Video: Issues I: Law and Order
- Video: Issues II: The Impact of Vietnam
- Reading: Primary Sources about the 1968 Election – Party Platforms, Humphrey's Campaign, and Riots in Chicago
- Video: The Results
- Video: Conclusion
- Reading: Primary Sources: Humphrey/Johnson Discuss Vietnam, LeMay/Wallace Press Conference, and LBJ Halts Bombing in Vietnam
- Reading: Voting Map, Statistics, and Results
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz - The Election of 1968
- Discussion Prompt: 1968 Election
The Election of 1980
The election of 1980 is often seen as marking modern America's embrace of conservatism, in a manner that still shapes the nation and the world today. Examining the 1980 election helps us to understand why conservative ideas on the economy and foreign policy gained popularity, and why Reagan proved a powerful salesperson for the Right.
6 videos, 8 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Context
- Video: The making of the US president, 1980
- Reading: Secondary reading on liberalism's travails and the 1980 election
- Reading: Primary sources on the 1980 presidential campaign
- Reading: The development and significance of presidential debates on television
- Video: The history of presidential debates
- Video: The Carter-Reagan presidential debate
- Reading: Optional primary source: the Carter-Reagan debate
- Discussion Prompt: Presidential debates
- Reading: Turning points and "realignments" in electoral history
- Video: Conservative ascendancy and electoral eras
- Reading: Exploring the "gender gap" in voting
- Video: The gender gap
- Reading: Data on the gender gap
- Discussion Prompt: Explaining the gender gap
- Video: Roundtable Discussion: Week 2
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz – The Election of 1980
Graded: Week 2 Quiz – Twentieth-Century Elections
WEEK 3
The Election of 2008
At the end of our course, we look back to the election of Barack Obama in 2008. This is explored through the testimony and perspectives of a practitioner who took part in the Obama campaign, of a journalist who traveled across America in fall 2008, and of a political scientist who has written about the election. Did Obama's victory signal a turn to progressivism, and how did digital technologies transform electoral politics?
4 videos, 7 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Exploring the election of Barack Obama
- Reading: "Barack Obama: Campaigns and Elections"
- Reading: Background reading (optional): The American Yawp on recent US history
- Reading: Primary Sources – Campaign Commercials
- Reading: About Mike Moffo
- Video: Mike Moffo on the making of the US president in 2008
- Discussion Prompt: The impact of the "digital revolution" on campaign politics
- Reading: About Jon Kelly
- Video: Jon Kelly on the making of the US president in 2008
- Reading: About Nicol Rae
- Video: Nicol Rae on the making of the US president in 2008
- Discussion Prompt: The 2008 election as a turning point
- Video: Roundtable on 2008 election
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz – The Election of 2008
The Election of 2016
It is too soon to tell the history of the 2016 presidential election (and so last year's election is not one of the five that are at the heart of our course), but how does does history help us to understand the Clinton-Trump contest and its outcome? By way of concluding "The Making of the US President," we reflect on historical parallels (and discontinuities).
2 videos, 3 readings
- Discussion Prompt: The 2016 election in historical perspective
- Reading: Exploring the political battle via campaign commercials
- Discussion Prompt: The significance of the 2016 election
- Reading: Roundtable discussion after the 2016 election
- Video: Roundtable: Discusssion following the 2016 election
- Reading: Exploring Donald Trump's inaugural address in historical perspective
- Video: Discussing Donald Trump's inaugural address
- Discussion Prompt: Assessing Donald Trump's transition from candidate to president
Graded: Week 3 Quiz – The Election of 2016 and Historical Parallels
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Ratings and Reviews
Great Review. I am active in politics and still found there were things I'd forgotten. Thanks for the fun and the review.
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JS
This has some good history in it. But short for sure.