“We cannot have free government without elections.”
Abraham Lincoln, November 10, 1864

[PRINTABLE SYLLABUS]


Books (also available via library reserve or online access)

  • Joanne B. Freeman, Affairs of Honor (New Haven: Yale, 2002)
  • Margaret O’Mara, Pivotal Tuesdays (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 2017)
  • James Oakes, The Radical and The Republican (New York: W.W. Norton, 2008)

 

Additional Readings

  • Akhil Reed Amar, “How Women Won the Vote,” Wilson Quarterly 29 (Summer 2005): 30-34 [JSTOR]
  • Wendy E. Chmielewski, “Her Hat Was in the Ring,” Gilder Lehrman, 2017 [WEB]
  • January 6 package:  Committee Report // Recommendations // RNC Censure (2/4/22)
  • Knowledge for Freedom seminar (KFF):  Declaration of Sentiments (1848)// Sojourner Truth (1851) // Susan B. Anthony Trial (1873), Dickinson College, 2023 [WEB]
  • Joseph Locke and Ben Wright, eds., American Yawp (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2023-24 ed.) [WEB]
  • Steven Mintz, “Winning the Vote,” Gilder Lehrman Institute, 2004 [WEB]
  • Shlomo Slonim, “The Electoral College at Philadelphia: The Evolution of an Ad Hoc Congress for the Selection of a President,”  Journal of American History 73 (June 1986): 35-58  [JSTOR]
  • Charles Sydnor, “Chapter 4: Swilling the Planters with Bumbo,” in Gentlemen Freeholders: Political Practices in Washington’s Virginia (1952) [JSTOR]
  • Judith Wellman, “Seneca Falls Convention,” Gilder Lehrman, 2006 [WEB]
  • Barbara Winslow, “Alice Paul, Suffrage Militant,” Gilder Lehrman, 2018 [WEB]

First Essay  –Early American Elections

On Monday, February 19, students will submit a 3-5 page typed, double-spaced essay on a topic about early American election practices provided to them in class on Thursday, February 15. All essays must include source material from the assigned readings and course resources properly cited using Chicago-style footnotes. Outside research is allowed but not required. Essays will be graded on depth of analysis, use of evidence, and quality of prose. Late essays will be penalized up to 5 points each day.


Second Essay –Slavery & American Politics

On Monday, March 25, students will submit a 3-5 page typed, double-spaced essay on a topic slavery and American politics provided to them in class on Thursday, March 21. All essays must include source material from the assigned readings and course resources properly cited using Chicago-style footnotes.  Outside research is allowed but not required.  Essays will be graded on depth of analysis, use of evidence, and quality of prose. Late essays will be penalized up to 5 points each day.


Final Web Projects

The highlight of this semester will be a website project that students will undertake to explain the significance of an important election in US history for a classroom audience.  By Monday, April 15, students must submit an 8- to 10-page narrative essay on their subject, relying on a range of primary and secondary sources, and employing Chicago-style footnotes.  This draft essay will receive a provisional or temporary grade. By Monday, May 6, students should revise the draft essay and transform it into a website on the free platform Weebly.  Each website should include an array of properly credited and captioned images as well as at least one embedded short video (about 1 to 2 minutes). Projects will be graded on depth of analysis, research and design effort, and quality of prose. Late project submissions will be penalized by 5 points per day.


Grade Distribution

Class Participation                              20 percent

First Essay (Early Elections)             25 percent

Second Essay (Slavery & Elections)  25 percent

Final web projects                                30 percent


Schedule

Day Date Discussion Topic Reading Assignment
Tuesday 1/23 Methods & Expectations
Thursday 1/25 Voting:  A History Mintz article
 
Tuesday 1/30 Revolutionary politics Sydnor Chapter 4
Thursday 2/1 Electoral College Slonim article
Tuesday 2/6 Introducing George Washington Freeman, intro, prologue, chap 1
Thursday 2/8 Jeffersonians and Hamiltonians Freeman, chap 2
Tuesday 2/13 Dueling Freeman, chap 4
Thursday 2/15 Election of 1800 Freeman, chap 5
Monday 2/19 Early Elections essay due By 5pm by email attachment
Tuesday 2/20 Antislavery Politics Oakes, intro + chap 1
Thursday 2/22 Party realignment Oakes, chap 2
Tuesday 2/27 Election of 1860 Oakes, chap 3
Thursday 2/29 Rebellion and Insurrection Oakes, chap 4
 
Tuesday 3/5 Emancipation Oakes, chap 5
Thursday 3/7 Election of 1864 Oakes, chap 6
 
Tuesday 3/12 NO CLASS –SPRING BREAK
Thursday 3/14 NO CLASS –SPRING BREAK
Tuesday 3/19 Reconstruction Yawp, chap 15
Thursday 3/21 Other Lincoln-Douglass Debates Oakes, chap 7
Monday 3/25 Slavery & Politics essay due By 5pm by email attachment
Tuesday 3/26 Woman suffrage Wellman article + KFF pages: Sentiments + Truth + Anthony
Thursday 3/28 Woman suffrage Amar article + Chmielewski + Winslow articles
Thursday 3/28 LECTURE:  Harold Holzer Stern Great Room, 7pm
Tuesday 4/2 Election of 1912 O’Mara, chap 1
Thursday 4/4 Election of 1912 O’Mara, chap 2
Tuesday 4/9 Election of 1932 O’Mara, chap 3
Thursday 4/11 Election of 1932 O’Mara, chap 4
Monday 4/15 Final project essays due By 5pm by email attachment
Tuesday 4/16 Election of 1968 O’Mara, chap 5
Thursday 4/18 Election of 1968 O’Mara, chap 6
Tuesday 4/23 Election of 1992 O’Mara, chap 7
Thursday 4/25 Election of 1992 O’Mara, chap 8 + conclusion
 
Tuesday 4/30 Jan. 6th Revisited 2020 Reflections + Jan. 6 Cmte Recommendations + RNC censure
Thursday 5/2 Lessons & Legacies
Monday 5/6 Final web projects due By 5pm by email link