U.S. Elections | Patterns of Protest

U.S. Elections


Thomas Jefferson won the Presidency in 1800 in what has been called a political revolution for the new Republic. The election was the first in which two parties faced one another in a presidential election, and demonstrated that Americans could peacefully change their government through the electoral process. Jefferson, after narrowly defeating John Adams in the electoral college, pledged in his inaugural address to unite the country, "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists." The two-party system that was born in this election persists until the present.

1			The election of Thomas Jefferson brought to power a new political party, the Democratic-Republicans. Was this party a national organization, representing the U.S. as a whole, or sectional party, representing only the South? What evidence is there for each position?
2			Why did a two-party system arise in the election of 1800? What effect did this system have on American political history? Was this a healthy or unhealthy development for American political life?
3			Write a diary as an observer from France in the United States during the Election of 1800. What are your views of the election? What do you think the election reveals about American political life? Compare America's peaceful transition to Democratic-Republican rule with political life in post-revolutionary France? How do you explain the differences?

Patterns of Protest


This map shows the national patterns of protest and civil rights marches that occurred throughout the United States from 1960-1968. Civil Rights demonstrations, such as the Freedom Rides in May 1961, where 13 people rode an integrated bus throughout the South, the youth of the United States ushered in decades of activism that brought down racial walls, protested the war in Vietnam, and advanced the civil rights of women and Native Americans. As this map clearly demonstrates, protest activities increased as opposition to the Vietnam War grew, helped in part by protesters on college campuses across the nation. As passions grew, however, so did violence with riots erupting in major cities and college campuses from 1966-1968. Perhaps the most widely know riot is the Watts Riot of 1965, where thousands of African Americans clashed with police, resulting in 34 deaths. By 1968, African Americans had grown frustrated with non-violent protest measures, instead turning to violent methods under the leadership of men such as Malcolm X. By that same year, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders stated that such violence was sparked by whites' racist attitudes toward African Americans.

4			Why would the escalation of the Vietnam War affect the Civil Rights Movement?
5			Consider the locations of the various types of protests and demonstrations. Are there any noticeable correlations?
6			Which cities in the United States saw the highest number of demonstrations? Why might that be?