The Evolution of Democracy A History of U.S. Elections and Voting

The Evolution of Democracy A History of U.S. Elections and Voting
Author: R. M. JACKSON
Publisher: R. M. JACKSON
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2024-06-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:
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Description: "The Evolution of Democracy A History of U.S. Elections and Voting" is an in-depth exploration of the political development and electoral processes in the United States. This comprehensive guide provides a detailed analysis of the key events, systems, and figures that have shaped American democracy from its colonial beginnings to the contemporary digital era. Chapter 1: Colonial Era to the Founding Fathers Explore the early roots of American democracy, focusing on the colonial era and the influential figures known as the Founding Fathers. Chapter 2: The 19th Century: Expansion, Civil War, and... Delve into the significant events of the 19th century, including territorial expansion, the Civil War, and their lasting impacts on the nation. Chapter 3: The Progressive Era and the Rise of Political... Learn about the Progressive Era and the emergence of political movements aimed at reforming American society and government. Chapter 4: The Electoral College System Understand the origins, function, and ongoing debates surrounding the Electoral College system in U.S. presidential elections. Chapter 5: Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions Gain insights into the primary processes, caucuses, and national conventions that play crucial roles in selecting party nominees. Chapter 6: Campaign Finance and the Role of Money in... Examine the critical issue of campaign finance, exploring how money influences political campaigns and election outcomes. Chapter 7: The History of Voting Rights in the USA Trace the evolution of voting rights in the U.S., from early restrictions to the landmark legislation that expanded suffrage. Chapter 8: Voter Suppression and Gerrymandering Analyze contemporary challenges to voting rights, including practices like voter suppression and gerrymandering. Chapter 9: Voting Systems and Election Security Learn about the various voting systems used in the U.S. and the measures taken to ensure election security and integrity. Chapter 10: The Evolution of Political Parties in the USA Follow the development of American political parties, their transformations, and their impact on the political landscape. Chapter 11: The Role of Interest Groups and Lobbying Understand the influence of interest groups and lobbying on American politics and policy-making processes. Chapter 12: The Impact of Ideology and Political... Explore how political ideologies shape party platforms, policy decisions, and voter behavior. Chapter 13: The Role of the Media in Shaping Public Opinion Investigate the media's crucial role in informing the public and influencing political opinions and election outcomes. Chapter 14: Social Media and the Digital Campaign Discover the growing importance of social media and digital strategies in modern political campaigns. Chapter 15: Fact-Checking and Combating Misinformation Learn about the challenges of misinformation in politics and the efforts to promote fact-checking and truth in public discourse. Chapter 16: The Consequences of Election Outcomes Examine the broader implications of election results on governance, policy direction, and social change. Chapter 17: The Impact of Elections on the Economy and... Explore the interplay between elections and economic policies, including how political changes can affect economic stability and growth. This book is an essential resource for anyone seeking a thorough understanding of the American political system, its history, and the various factors that influence electoral processes and outcomes.

America at the Ballot Box

America at the Ballot Box
Author: Gareth Davies
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2015-09-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0812247191
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A chronological collection of essays, America at the Ballot Box uses the history of presidential elections to illuminate both the fundamental character of American political democracy, and its evolution from the early Republic to the late twentieth century.

The Right to Vote

The Right to Vote
Author: Alexander Keyssar
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 496
Release: 2009-06-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0465010148
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Originally published in 2000, The Right to Vote was widely hailed as a magisterial account of the evolution of suffrage from the American Revolution to the end of the twentieth century. In this revised and updated edition, Keyssar carries the story forward, from the disputed presidential contest of 2000 through the 2008 campaign and the election of Barack Obama. The Right to Vote is a sweeping reinterpretation of American political history as well as a meditation on the meaning of democracy in contemporary American life.

Elections A to Z

Elections A to Z
Author: Dave Tarr
Publisher: CQ Press
Total Pages: 833
Release: 2012-07-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1452234132
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Combining the rich content of the print edition with the advanced online functionality demanded by today's researchers, Elections A to Z: Online Edition is the ultimate 21st century research tool for finding current, accurate information on U.S. elections. Advanced Web-enabled features allow users to conduct searches from A to Z on election. Like all CQ Press online editions, Elections A to Z: Online Edition comes loaded with powerful user-friendly functions such as CiteNow!, which lets researchers download full citations in MLA, APA, Bluebook, and other formats. Elections A to Z explains how campaigns and elections, the hallmark of any democracy, are conducted in the United States. The new third edition has been redesigned and updated with new entries covering the vital current elections topics that readers want to know about. Entries range from short definitions of terms like front-runner to in-depth essays exploring vital aspects of campaigns and elections, such as the right to vote, turnout trends, and the history, evolution, and current state of House, Senate, presidential, and some state-level elections. Readers will find essential information on: Stages in the campaign process and the general election The roles of political consultants, the media, and political parties Debates and issues such as term limits, majority-minority districts, and campaign finance Amendments, legislation, and court cases that have shaped electoral, campaign, and voting matters Voter turnout and voting rights in the United States Important terms and concepts like absolute majority and dark horse Highlights of presidential elections throughout U.S. history

Ballot Battles

Ballot Battles
Author: Edward B. Foley
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 553
Release: 2024-06-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 0197775845
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The 2000 presidential race resulted in the highest-profile ballot battle in over a century. But it is far from the only American election determined by a handful of votes and marred by claims of fraud. Since the founding of the nation, violence frequently erupted as the votes were being counted, and more than a few elections produced manifestly unfair results. Despite America's claim to be the world's greatest democracy, its adherence to the basic tenets of democratic elections-the ability to count ballots accurately and fairly even when the stakes are high-has always been shaky. A rigged gubernatorial election in New York in 1792 nearly ended in calls for another revolution, and an 1899 gubernatorial race even resulted in an assassination. Though acts of violence have decreased in frequency over the past century, fairness and accuracy in ballot counting nonetheless remains a basic problem in American political life. In Ballot Battles, Edward Foley presents a sweeping history of election controversies in the United States, tracing how their evolution generated legal precedents that ultimately transformed how we determine who wins and who loses. While weaving a narrative spanning over two centuries, Foley repeatedly returns to an originating event: because the Founding Fathers despised parties and never envisioned the emergence of a party system, they wrote a constitution that did not provide clear solutions for high-stakes and highly-contested elections in which two parties could pool resources against one another. Moreover, in the American political system that actually developed, politicians are beholden to the parties which they represent - and elected officials have typically had an outsized say in determining the outcomes of extremely close elections that involve recounts. This underlying structural problem, more than anything else, explains why intense ballot battles that leave one side feeling aggrieved will continue to occur for the foreseeable future. American democracy has improved dramatically over the last two centuries. But the same cannot be said for the ways in which we determine who wins the very close races. From the founding until today, there has been little progress toward fixing the problem. Indeed, supporters of John Jay in 1792 and opponents of Lyndon Johnson in the 1948 Texas Senate race would find it easy to commiserate with Al Gore after the 2000 election. Ballot Battles is not only the first full chronicle of contested elections in the US. It also provides a powerful explanation of why the American election system has been-and remains-so ineffective at deciding the tightest races in a way that all sides will agree is fair.

American Political History: A Very Short Introduction

American Political History: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Donald T. Critchlow
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2015-01-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199340064
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The Founding Fathers who drafted the United States Constitution in 1787 distrusted political parties, popular democracy, centralized government, and a strong executive office. Yet the country's national politics have historically included all those features. In American Political History: A Very Short Introduction, Donald Critchlow takes on this contradiction between original theory and actual practice. This brief, accessible book explores the nature of the two-party system, key turning points in American political history, representative presidential and congressional elections, struggles to expand the electorate, and critical social protest and third-party movements. The volume emphasizes the continuity of a liberal tradition challenged by partisan divide, war, and periodic economic turmoil. American Political History: A Very Short Introduction explores the emergence of a democratic political culture within a republican form of government, showing the mobilization and extension of the mass electorate over the lifespan of the country. In a nation characterized by great racial, ethnic, and religious diversity, American democracy has proven extraordinarily durable. Individual parties have risen and fallen, but the dominance of the two-party system persists. Fierce debates over the meaning of the U.S. Constitution have created profound divisions within the parties and among voters, but a belief in the importance of constitutional order persists among political leaders and voters. Americans have been deeply divided about the extent of federal power, slavery, the meaning of citizenship, immigration policy, civil rights, and a range of economic, financial, and social policies. New immigrants, racial minorities, and women have joined the electorate and the debates. But American political history, with its deep social divisions, bellicose rhetoric, and antagonistic partisanship provides valuable lessons about the meaning and viability of democracy in the early 21st century. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Voter Suppression in U.S. Elections

Voter Suppression in U.S. Elections
Author: Stacey Abrams
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2020-06-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0820357758
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Historians have long been engaged in telling the story of the struggle for the vote. In the wake of recent contested elections, the suppression of the vote has returned to the headlines, as awareness of the deep structural barriers to the ballot, particularly for poor, black, and Latino voters, has called attention to the historical roots of issues related to voting access. Perhaps most notably, former state legislator Stacey Abrams’s campaign for Georgia's gubernatorial race drew national attention after she narrowly lost to then-secretary of state Brian Kemp, who had removed hundreds of thousands of voters from the official rolls. After her loss, Abrams created Fair Fight, a multimillion-dollar initiative to combat voter suppression in twenty states. At an annual conference of the Organization of American Historians, leading scholars Carol Anderson, Kevin M. Kruse, Heather Cox Richardson, and Heather Anne Thompson had a conversation with Abrams about the long history of voter suppression at the Library Company of Philadelphia. This book is a transcript of that extraordinary conversation, edited by Jim Downs. Voter Suppression in U.S. Elections offers an enlightening, history-informed conversation about voter disenfranchisement in the United States. By gathering scholars and activists whose work has provided sharp analyses of this issue, we see how historians in general explore contentious topics and provide historical context for students and the broader public. The book also includes a “top ten” selection of essays and articles by such writers as journalist Ari Berman, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David Blight, and civil rights icon John Lewis.

The Presidency

The Presidency
Author: Stefan Lorant
Publisher: New York : Macmillan
Total Pages: 792
Release: 1951
Genre: Elections
ISBN:
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Here's a superb record of every presidential election in the United States, from the days of George Washington to the struggle between Dewey and Truman. Over 1,000 fascinating pictures vividly illustrate this story of election drama--heroism, scandal, rugged conflict, and stirring ballyhoo. The pictures and text give abundant proof that politics brings out some of our most picturesque--and most American--behavior! Story by story, and picture by picture. author Lorant builds up his striking portrait of an important side of American democracy--our free elections. The forty-two chapters, one for each presidential election and an introductory one on the Creation of Office, make up a lively political history of the United States. With swift, sure strokes Lorant draws in the background of each campaign, portrays the characters of the opposing candidates, and describes the battles that took place. He gives the statistics: always the Electoral vote, and after 1828 the popular vote as well. Thus the reader can quickly see how each state voted for each candidate, the majority by which each election was won, and which Presidents won the popular vote but lost the Electoral vote. The contemporary illustrations do the rest--portraits, engravings, old prints, broadsides, pages of newspapers, facsimiles of letters, hundreds of pungent cartoons, and the best photographs of all the modern campaigns. Lively glimpses of the candidates in action, the rise and fall of parties, vivid bits of historical by-play, election-night scenes, nominating conventions, inaugurations all are here. The portraits of each major candidate for the presidency and vice-presidency from 1789 to 1948 precede each chapter. Never before has the story of presidential elections been so graphically told. This book gives you history at a glance, and will prove as valuable to the historian as to the reader for pleasure.--Jacket.