Presidential Campaigns

Daniel M. Shea, PhD, is professor of government and director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby College, Waterville, ME.Brian M. Harward, PhD, is associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College, Meadville, PA.

• Introduction: Crisis Points in Modern Presidential Election,ELECTION OF 1952Truman on Civil Rights,President Harry Truman—s Special Message to Congress on Civil RightsFebruary 2, 1948McCarthy at the 1952 Republican National Convention,Senator Joseph McCarthy—s Address to the Republican National ConventionJuly 9, 1952Eisenhower at the 1952 Republican National Convention,General Dwight D. Eisenhower—s Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National ConventionJuly 11, 1952A Promise: Dwight D. Eisenhower and Earl Warren,Memorandum from President Eisenhower to Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr.August 5, 1953Nixon—s "Checkers" Speech,Television Address by Richard NixonSeptember 23, 1952ELECTION OF 1956Eisenhower and Desegregation,The President—s News ConferenceAugust 8, 1956Eisenhower and the Suez Crisis,The President—s News ConferenceAugust 8, 1956ELECTION OF 1960Eisenhower, Nixon, and the U2 Spy Plane Incident,Telegram from the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State, Moscow, 7:00 p.m.May 9, 1960Nixon—s Fifty-State Pledge,Richard Nixon—s Acceptance Speech at the Republican National ConventionJuly 28, 1960Kennedy—s Religion Speech,John F. Kennedy—s Speech on Religious Bigotry to the Greater Houston Ministerial AssociationSeptember 12, 1960Kennedy, Nixon, and the First Televised Presidential Debate,Stills from the Nixon-Kennedy DebateSeptember 26, 1960"Nixon—s Experience?" Ad,Anti–Richard Nixon Campaign Ad1960ELECTION OF 1964Rockefeller on Goldwater—s Extremism,Nelson Rockefeller—s Remarks to the Republican National ConventionJuly 14, 1964Goldwater—s Rejoinder to Rockefeller,Barry Goldwater—s Acceptance Speech at the Republican National ConventionJuly 14, 1964"Peace Little Girl" ("Daisy Girl") Ad,Campaign Ad for Lyndon B. Johnson by the Democratic National CommitteeSeptember 7, 1964Goldwater—s Sanity,"1,189 Psychiatrists Say Goldwater Is Psychologically Unfit to be President!"FACT MagazineSeptember 1964ELECTION OF 1968Wallace—s Third-Party Run,Stand Up for America: George Wallace Campaign Brochure1968RFK Announces His Candidacy,Robert F. Kennedy—s Announcement of Candidacy for PresidentMarch 16, 1968LBJ Not Seeking Reelection,President Lyndon B. Johnson—s Remarks on Decision Not to Seek ReelectionMarch 31, 1968RFK and MLK,Robert F. Kennedy Relaying News of the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.April, 4, 1968Ted Kennedy on Robert—s Death,Ted Kennedy—s Address at the Public Memorial Service for Robert F. KennedyJune 8, 1968Nixon—s Campaign against the Warren Court,Richard Nixon—s Acceptance Speech at the 1968 Republican National ConventionAugust 8, 1968Ribicoff: "Gestapo Tactics in the Streets of Chicago!,"Abraham Ribicoff—s Speech Nominating George McGovern for the U.S. PresidencyAugust 28, 1968ELECTION OF 1972McGovern-Fraser Commission Report,Report for the Democratic National Committee by the McGovern-Fraser Commission1971Muskie and the Manchester Union Leader,Don Nicoll—s Interview with Tony PodestaFebruary 1972Attempted Assassination of Wallace,"Wallace Shooting: A Campaign Altered by Violence"Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report (May 20, 1972)May 15, 1972Nixon and the Watergate Scandal,Final Report of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (June 1974)June 17, 1972McGovern and the Eagleton Affair,Excerpts from Thomas Eagleton—s Press Conference, Custer, South DakotaJuly 25, 1972Ford Pardons Nixon,President Gerald Ford—s Announcement of Nixon—s PardonSeptember 8, 1974ELECTION OF 1976"To Restore America,"Ronald Reagan—s Speech at the Republican National ConventionMarch 31, 1976"Bio" Ad: The Man from Plains,Campaign Ad for Jimmy Carter1976The Gaffe Heard around the World,The Second Carter-Ford Presidential DebateOctober 6, 1976ELECTION OF 1980Carter—s "Crisis of Confidence" Speech,Address to the Nation on the Energy SituationJuly 15, 1979Ted Kennedy—s "Mudd Moment,"Excerpt from Roger Mudd—s Memoir The Place to Be (2008)November 4, 1979Failed Rescue Mission,President Jimmy Carter—s Address to the Nation on the Failed Attempt to Rescue American Embassy Hostages Held in IranApril 25, 1980"The Dream Will Never Die" Speech,Senator Ted Kennedy—s Address to the Democratic National ConventionAugust 12, 1980"Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?,"The Second Carter-Reagan Presidential DebateOctober 28, 1980ELECTION OF 1984Mondale and Paying Higher Taxes,Walter Mondale—s Acceptance Speech at the Democratic National ConventionJuly 19, 1984Reagan—s Age Issue,The Second Reagan-Mondale Presidential DebateOctober 21, 1984"Morning in America" Ad,Campaign Ad for Ronald Reagan1984ELECTION OF 1988Hart and Donna Rice,"Newspaper Stakeout Infuriates Hart: Report on Female House Guest Called 'Character Assassination—"James R. Dickenson and Paul Taylor, Washington PostMay 4, 1987Bush—s "Read My Lips" Pledge,George Bush—s Acceptance Speech at the Republican National ConventionAugust 18, 1988Dukakis and the "Tank Ride" Ad,Anti–Michael Dukakis Campaign Ad1988"Senator, You Are No Jack Kennedy,"Bentsen-Quayle Vice Presidential DebateOctober 5, 1988Dukakis and the Death Penalty Question,The Second Bush-Dukakis Presidential DebateOctober 13, 1988"Willie Horton" Ad,Anti–Michael Dukakis Campaign Ad1988Reagan, Bush, and the Iran-Contra Affair,Excerpt from the Final Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters (August 4, 1993)1987–1988ELECTION OF 1992The Star Publishes Gennifer Flowers—Allegations,"PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Allegations of Clinton Affairs May Recast Democrats—Race"Rhodes Cook, CQ WeeklyJanuary 25, 1992Is Bill Clinton a Draft Dodger?,Bill Clinton—s 1969 Letter to the Head of the University of Arkansas—s Army Reserve ProgramFebruary 12, 1992Buchanan at the Republican National Convention,Pat Buchanan—s Address to the Republican National ConventionAugust 17, 1992ELECTION OF 1996Colin Powell Declines to Run,Press Conference in Washington, D.C.November 8, 1995Dole Retires from the Senate,Address on the Senate FloorJune 11, 1996ELECTION OF 2000Clinton, Gore, and the Monica Lewinsky Affair,Excerpt from the Starr ReportSeptember 9, 1998Push Polls and Whispers: South Carolina Primary,Republican Primary Debate in South CarolinaFebruary 16, 2000Nader at the Green Party Convention,Ralph Nader—s Acceptance Speech at the Green Party ConventionJune 25, 2000Gore—s Kiss,Image from the 2000 Democratic National ConventionAugust 17, 2000Bush v. Gore,George W. Bush, et al., Petitioners v. Albert Gore, Jr., et al.On Writ of Certiorari to the Florida Supreme CourtDecember 12, 2000ELECTION OF 2004Bush and Same-Sex Marriage Initiatives in Competitive States,President Bush—s Remarks Calling for a Constitutional Amendment Defining and Protecting MarriageFebruary 24, 2004Kerry and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,Anti–John Kerry Campaign Ad2004Bush Air National Guard Allegations Surface,Alleged Air National Guard Memo (August 18, 1973)September 8, 2004ELECTION OF 2008Obama—s Keynote Speech,Barack Obama—s Speech at the Democratic National Convention, Boston, MassachusettsJuly 27, 2004Obama, Race, and the South Carolina Democratic Primary,Barack Obama—s Victory Speech following the South Carolina PrimaryJanuary 26, 2008"A More Perfect Union" Speech,Barack Obama—s Speech on RaceMarch 18, 2008Obama Rejects Public Financing,Letter to Barack Obama from Common Cause and the League of Women Voters (February 2008)June 2008Obama at the Democratic National Convention,Barack Obama—s Acceptance Speech at the Democratic National ConventionAugust 28, 2008McCain—s "Fundamentals" Gaffe,Campaign Speech in Jacksonville, FloridaSeptember 15, 2008The "Joe the Plumber" Exchange,Third Obama-McCain Presidential DebateOctober 15, 2008Powell—s Endorsement of Obama,Excerpt from Obama—s Speech at Fayetteville, North CarolinaOctober 19, 2008ELECTION OF 2012Rick Perry—s "Oops Moment,"Republican Presidential Primary Debate, Rochester, MichiganNovember 9, 2011Bill Clinton at the Democratic Convention,Bill Clinton—s Address to the Democratic National Convention, Charlotte, North CarolinaSeptember 5, 2012Mother Jones Releases Mitt Romney—s "47%" Video,Transcript of Video from Mitt Romney Fund-raiser, Boca Raton, Florida (May 17, 2012)September 17, 2012An October Surprise: Hurricane Sandy,"FEMA and Federal Partners Continue Steadfast Support for Areas Affected by Superstorm"Federal Emergency Management Agency Press ReleaseOctober 31, 2012Timeline,Further Reading,Index,About the Authors,

While students might not gravitate to this volume on their own, it provides examples of close and critical reading, and using text to support analysis within an historical framework—both expectations of the Common Core State Standards. Consider for specialized government classes, courses needing primary source analysis, or those teaching speech and debate.