Presidential Elections

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This site documents the American presidential elections from 1860 to 1912. For each election, the site provides a detailed, 3,000-word overview that places the election within political and cultural context, and discusses the major issues relevant to the election. The producers have also included an essay on the practice of campaigning (4,500 words): how it has changed over the centuries, how those changes have resulted in an increased democratization of the political process, and how the press has shaped the process. In addition, the site exhibits about 90 political cartoons (from Harpweek, Vanity Fair, and Puck, among others) from elections, and provides biographies for each of the candidates. Also included for each election are "Events" sections that discuss major events before, during, and after each election period.

Teachers should be aware that some materials contain racial epithets. Notwithstanding the relatively few primary sources, this site is an excellent introduction to the 1860 to 1912 elections.

Public Papers of the Presidency

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Bringing together a wide range of material on the public communications of American presidents, as well as election data and statistical information on presidency, this website presents the public messages, statements, speeches, and news conference remarks of presidents from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush. Materials can be browsed or searched by month and year. Visitors can also view transcripts of all inaugural addresses and State of the Union messages, convention speeches of presidential candidates from 1960 to 2004, and all the presidential debates.

The site offers major party platforms from 1840 to 2004 and transcripts of various events from the 2001 presidential transition. Transcripts from the "Presidential Candidates Debates" from the 1960 through the 2004 election are presented. A media archive contains various audio and video clips from the late 19th century to the present. A map shows electoral votes and popular vote totals and percentages by state from 1828 to 2004.

Photographs from the Chicago Daily News: 1902-1933

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More than 55,000 photographs taken by staff photographers of the Chicago Daily News during the first decades of the 20th century are available on this website. Roughly 20 percent of the photos were published in the paper. The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon paper, sold at a cost of one cent for many years, with stories that tried to appeal to the city's large working-class audience.

The website provides subject access to the photographs, which include street scenes, buildings, prominent people, labor violence, political campaigns and conventions, criminals, ethnic groups, workers, children, actors, and disasters. Many photographs of athletes and political leaders are also featured. While most of the images were taken in Chicago and nearby areas, some were taken elsewhere, including at presidential inaugurations. The images provide a glimpse into varied aspects of urban life and document the use of photography by the press during early 20th century.