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Activities
Congressional Debate
Using knowledge of the issues and the individuals
elected to Congress from the preceding research, students
should choose a legislative session from the antebellum
era and the character of a well-known legislator in
the session. Prepare to debate the issues of that session,
representing the appropriate stand of the legislator.
Consider using the actual debates in the House and the
Senate to verify your arguments. Such issues as the
tariffs, the Mexican War, the Compromise of 1850 and
the Kansas-Nebraska Act produced powerful debates before
the House and the Senate.
A particularly helpful source is this compilation of
U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html.
Election Campaign
Students should select a presidential campaign from
the antebellum era and research its issues and the party
and platform of one of its candidates. Each student
should create an original campaign for an historic candidate
that may include as many elements as desirable, but
at a minimum should include a platform, a slogan, poster(s)
and a strategy for winning the election.
Helpful sources include:
Presidential Campaign Slogans, 1840 - 2000:
http://www.presidentsusa.net/campaignslogans.html
Presidential Election Time Table:
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1039.html
Essays
1. To what extent did the political alignment of the second
two-party system affect the ability of the Senate and
the House of Representatives to find a basis for compromise
on the tariff issue and on questions regarding the expansion
of slavery?
2. To what extent was the collapse of the two-party system
responsible for the onset of the Civil War in 1861? Support
your answer with specific information.
Application Questions
1. How did the issues in the election of 1860 compare
and contrast to the issues in the upcoming election of
2004?
2. How do public attitudes during the 1860 election compare
to those in the election of 2004?
3. Given the recent candidacies of Ross Perot and Ralph
Nader, how effective has the two-party system been in
responding to current issues?
4. Do you believe that the United States is likely to
maintain a strong two-party system? Explain why or why
not.
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