Teacher's Guide for Compquest: Presidential Elections

THE VIEW FROM THE CROW'S NEST (page 6)

1. List the seven main jobs of the U.S. president.
2. Which branch of government makes laws? Which branch decides whether a law is constitutional? What is the president's responsibility about laws?
3. In the United States, to whom does the power belong?
4. What two political parties came into being shortly after the government was created? Explain the main political philosophy of each of these parties.
5. What work is done at the political party conventions in the summer of each presidential election year?
6. During an election, on what is it easy to focus instead of the issues of the campaign?
7. What do you think it means to "package" a candidate?
8. One of the reasons some people do not vote in elections is because they do not meet state literacy requirements. Write one argument explaining why a person should be literate to be able to vote. Write one argument explaining why a person need not be literate to vote.
9. To whom did the early leaders of the country believe voting should be limited?
10. How did the writers of the Constitution ensure that changes could be made in the document as the country changed?

1. Where was Nast born? How old was he when he came to the United States?
2. How well did Nast do in school? How did his family support his educational interests?
3. How did Abraham Lincoln think Nast had helped the Union cause in the Civil War?
4. What goals did Nast hope to achieve with his political cartoons?
5. What important role did Nast play in the 1864 election?
6. Why didn't Nast need to label any of the famous people he drew in his cartoons?
7. Which presidential candidates felt that Nast had helped them get elected?
8. What symbols did Nast use to represent the Democrats and the Republicans? Give some examples of symbols that are used in our society today. For example, different sports teams have symbols that represent them. Think of some other examples.
9. To which political party was Nast loyal?
10. What did the wounded elephant symbolize in the 1876 election? 11. Why did Nast refuse to support the Republican candidate in the 1884 election? What was the outcome of the election?
12. Why do you think a political cartoonist might be even more influential than an editorial writer in a political campaign?

1. According to the Constitution, what are the requirements to run for president?
2. What remarkable ability was Woodhull supposed to have had as a young woman? How did her family make use of her ability?
3. How old was Woodhull when she first got married? How did that marriage end?
4. What did Woodhull particularly like about her second husband?
5. What kind of business did she start with her sister? What was unusual about this?
6. What actions did she take against the inequalities suffered by women?
7. For what did Woodhull ask in the speech she made before the House Judiciary Committee?
8. Why did Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the women's movement, split with Woodhull?
9. In what way was Woodhull ahead of her time?
10. Do you know of any women who are well-known politicians today? Would you vote for a woman running for president? Give your reasons for your answer. Discuss whether you think you are likely to see a woman president during your lifetime.

1. How many electors does a state have?
2. How does the Constitution say electoral votes shall be divided?
3. If no candidate gets a majority of the electoral votes, how is the election decided?
4. What three branches make up the government?

1. According to this article, what is the total number of electoral votes? How many votes does a candidate have to get to win?
2. This article was written in 1980. How many electoral votes does your state have according to this reference? In the library, look up the number of electoral votes your state has today. Did your state gain, lose, or stay the same?
3. According to this article, which five states have the highest numbers of electoral votes? Which five have the lowest?
4. What is the fewest number of states a candidate could win and get the needed number of electoral votes to win the election? List the names of the states and the number of electoral votes each has. Use the numbers given in this article even though some of those numbers have changed.

1. What were some of the problems facing the country in 1840?
2. On what did the campaign focus?
3. What symbols did the Whigs use for William Henry Harrison in the campaign?
4. Who traveled around the country giving speeches in this campaign?
5. What gimmicks did the Whigs use at their campaign meetings to get people interested in their candidate? Were they successful?
6. For what did the Liberty party campaign?
7. What was ironic about the way the public perceived Harrison and his opponent, Martin Van Buren?

1. What are some of the things you should try to find out about a candidate before voting for him or her?
2. What was the original purpose of the League of Women Voters?
3. How did women get the right to vote? How long did it take? Give examples of some attitudes that people have today showing that they still don't think women should play an equal role and have equal power in politics. You could do some research to find out how many women hold elective offices (governors, senators, representatives), hold cabinet positions, or are Supreme Court justices.
4. Why did Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony oppose the amendment that gave African American men the right to vote?
5. If a law is being proposed for people in a state to vote on, what kind of information does the League of Women Voters make available about that law?
6. Why does the League of Women Voters sponsor debates between candidates? If candidates for president are willing to participate in debates sponsored by the league, what does that tell us about their feelings about the league?

1. Counting from the 1860 presidential election, which was the first time the Democratic and Republican parties as we know them competed, how many times did the Republicans win the election up to 1976? (Note: Some presidents won more than once. Count each election.) How many times did the Democrats win? Research the elections since 1976 to update this information.
2. How many vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency because of the death of the president?

1. How did teddy bears get their name?
2. How many presidents have been related to former presidents?
3. What kind of an education did Andrew Johnson have? Do you think there should be some kind of an educational requirement for presidents? Explain your answer.
4. How did Abraham Lincoln indicate that his own opinion as president was worth more than those of his cabinet members?
5. Why was Thomas Jefferson's library sold after his death? Who bought it?

1. What does the Greek word politikos mean?
2. Why was the Roman word for white used to describe candidates? Do you think it is still appropriate today?
3. What does it mean to "jump on the bandwagon"? What do you think would be the opposite of this?
4. If you were at the racetrack and a "dark horse" won, what would have happened? What is meant by this expression in politics?

1. What does the tiger represent in this cartoon? Where is the lamb? What does the lamb represent?
2. What is the point of the cartoon? Who do you think drew it?

The Constitution of the United States (September 1982),
Starting a Nation (September 1984),
The United States Senate (November 1984),
Susan B. Anthony and the Women's Movement (March 1985),
Celebrating Our Constitution (September 1987),
The Two-Party System (November 1988),
Important Supreme Court Cases (March 1989),
Our Bill of Rights (September 1991),
The People's President: Andrew Jackson (October 1991),
George Washington (April 1992),
Teddy Roosevelt (March 1993),
Abraham Lincoln (May 1994).

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Updated: 7/4/09 09:05 pm
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