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Election of 1896

Election of 1896

The US presidential election of 1896 included one of the most complicated campaigns and was considered one of the most complicated elections in the history of the country. The two candidates were William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan.
For McKinley, the importance of the bond between businessmen, factory workers and farmers was vital to changing the political system as it was at the time. His power laid in the North. Whereas, Bryan was strongest in the south, as a result of the coalition between the Democrats and several other parities.
As in most US presidential elections, the economy was  a large issue going into the election. The importance of the impact of tariffs was crucial to the campaign, as was the gold standard. In fact, these issues were so important that the impact of the campaign and presidency can still be seen in economic standards today. In addition, the impact was seen in many presidential election since the election of 1896.
McKinley won the election and it is believed that his focus on key issues, such as industrial growth, had a big impact on his election win. In fact,many of his policies continue to impact American industry.
The election of 1896 was the first time in twenty four years that a Republican had won a majority of the popular vote. However, the liberal ideals set out by Bryan also had a great impact on the country and continue to do so.
 

Election 1876

Election 1876

The election of 1876 was between Rutherford Hayes, a Republican from Ohio, and Samuel J. Tilden, a Democrat from New York. The election was the very first to have involved a candidate winning the popular vote, but losing the election by not having enough votes from electors. The election was disputed for more than just this reason, however, as it was an election in which several of the states had disputed electoral votes, and as such, when Rutherford Hayes finally won, it was only after a long bout of arguments and legal struggles.
Part of the dispute surrounding the election arose from the nature of this particular election. Though neither Samuel J. Tilden or Rutherford Hayes genuinely participated in the campaigning process, each one’s side slowly began to use blatantly inflammatory and vicious tactics in attempting to win the electors’ votes. Each side attacked the other candidate personally, making the race more disputed by its very nature. 
Then, in the actual vote, Samuel J. Tilden appeared to have won the popular vote, at least, with 4,288,546 votes to Rutherford Hayes receiving 4,034,311 votes. But regardless of this, the votes of the electors were what mattered, and unfortunately there, the victor was not as obvious. Tilden had only 184 votes, not enough to actually win absolute majority at 185 votes from the electors.
Rutherford Hayes had significantly fewer votes, but this was in part because four states had actually not cast their votes yet, as they had each had disputed elections. Between these four states there were 20 more electoral votes, which was enough to put Hayes over the top to beat Tilden. 
Out of the four states of Oregon, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida, Oregon’s vote was decided most quickly, in favor of Rutherford Hayes. But the electors of the other states remained undetermined, as each of the three remaining states had actually sent two sets of results to the federal government.
One set of results said that Rutherford Hayes won, and the other set of results said that Samuel J. Tilden won. With two differing sets of results, the dispute became which one was correct, and until that could be determined, the electors could not cast their votes and the presidential election would remain undecided.
Adding further complication, the federal government’s response to this situation was to appoint the Electoral Commission to determine which results were accurate. The Electoral Commission had 7 Republicans who would support Rutherford Hayes, and 7 Democrats who would support Samuel J. Tilden. It also had a single Republican Supreme Court Justice. Each member of the committee voted along party lines, and as a result, Rutherford Hayes was elected president.
The final result concerning the electors as judged by the Electoral Commission went undisputed by the Democrats, but only because the Democrats and the Republicans had actually compromised outside of the election, and had agreed on certain terms in exchange for Rutherford Hayes getting the presidency. This meant that the election was considered fraudulent and shady. But the terms went undisputed, and Rutherford Hayes became present.
The legacy of the election was evidence that one did not have to win the popular vote to win the votes of the electors and still become President, as well as a legacy of election scandal and dispute which would continue down into modern times.

1976 Presidential Election

1976 Presidential Election

The 1976 presidential election was immediately following the resignation of President Nixon. In fact, some of the 1976 presidential election issues surrounded the Watergate scandal. Former president Gerald Ford was running against Jimmy Carter.
One of the 1976 election issues surrounded the pardon of Nixon by Ford. In addition, the state of the economy altered the countries perception of Ford and he lost popularity among the voters. However, Ford has gained some of his popularity back through events which were celebrating the two hundred year anniversary of the country. In act, one of the best publicity stunts included the president presiding over a fireworks display which was seen on national television. They also held dinners with other important heads of state, including the Queen of England.
However, Jimmy Carter won popularity by claiming to be a man of the people that had not yet been tainted by politics as the former president had been. He made sure to bring up the fact the Nixon and Ford were connected to one another, as was indicated by the Presidential pardon for Nixon. The insinuation was that Ford could not be trusted by the American people.
Carter has a lead which continued to grow. The 1976 presidential election would be won by Carter,largely due to the fact that Americans no longer trusted Ford, especially because he refused to answer questions about his relationship with Nixon.
 
 
 
 

1992 Presidential Election

1992 Presidential Election

The 1992 presidential election was based on several key issues. Public perception was that Bush had broken many promises to the public, including the fact that he raised taxes after promising that he would not. The other candidates in the race were Ross Perot, an independent and Bill Clinton, a democrat.

There was a recession in the United States and people were looking for a candidate that could bring the economy back to where it had been. The recession meant many people lost their jobs and most of the country was struggling financially. Many people blamed the problem on Bush, in addition to remaining angry about his raise in taxes.

Despite the country being unhappy with some of Bushes policies, he still remained popular. Yet, Bill Clinton was doing well in election poll results testing. Despite the scandal that Clinton had been accused of an affair by Jennifer Flowers, his popularity remained after he appeared on television with his wife to deny the allegations.

The Election poll results at one point in the race, would have declared Perot, the independent candidate as the winner. However, Bush later appeared to clinch the lead and many thought that he would win the 1992 Presidential election. Perot dropped out, fearing that the race would be determined by the house of representatives, because the election poll results would be too close. President Bill Clinton was elected.

 

Election of 1912

Election of 1912

 
At the time, it was only a tradition that presidents left office after two terms, but Theodore Roosevelt declined to run for President again. President Roosevelt wanted Taft to be the next President. As Taft ran against William Jennings Bryant, the ballots showed that Taft was the winner. However, the relationship between Roosevelt and Taft was now very strained. In fact, Taft became the leader of one wing of the Republican party, with Roosevelt leading the other.
 
 
Roosevelt led the progressive Republicans who believed that there  should be certain restrictions on the employment of women and children. In addition, the progressive republicans believed that environmental conservation was important, including National parks and protection for certain species.
 
 
In contrast, the Conservative Republicans, led by Taft, favored tariffs for goods which were imported from other countries, in order to keep the prices of American products lower. The party  was against labor Unions and instead believed that business leaders should handle issues which would be decided by the unions. They were also opposed to the popular vote as it was used to determine the election of judges and instead believed that the President should appoint judges.
 
 
When the ballots were counted in the election of 1896, the influence of the campaign was continuing to spread. In fact, many of the political ideas which grew form the disputes between Roosevelt and Taft, continue to influence campaigns today. 
 

1984 Presidential Election

1984 Presidential Election

The 1984 presidential election included a race between Ronald Reagan and the democrat, former Vice President Walter Mondale. Reagan was enjoying popularity as the economy continued to recover. Mondale supported many liberal ideas.

 
 
For example, he was opposed to nuclear weapons being produced or obtained. He also supported  the equal rights amendment and was opposed to many of Reagan's financial ideas, as he thought they were unfair to many Americans. Reagan was now one of the oldest presidents to have served and there were questions about his ability to handle the immense stress associated with running the country.

 
 
In fact,he was found to have made several errors during important speeches,even referring to the wrong location. Yet, he said that he refused to make age a part of the debate and instead wished to focus on the experience he had running the country.Reagan remained popular and continued to make many popular public appearances.
 
 
Ronald Reagan won 49 of the fifty states, which was only the second time it had happened in the history of the United States. Richard Nixon was the first President to do so. In fact, Reagan won five hundred and twenty five electoral votes, which is the highest of any President. However, Mondale won forty percent of the popular vote, with Reagan winning approximately forty nine percent, making the race for popular vote very close. 

1988 Presidential Election

1988 Presidential Election

The 1988 presidential election included open primaries for both major political parties. Reagan was unable to run again, as he had already served the allowable two terms. However, Reagan's vice president, George Bush, won the Republican nomination. The Democratic nomination was won by Michael Dukakis.

Bush had many positives in his campaign. He had been a part of the plans which brought about a better economy, including more jobs and stable income for many families. He was also credited with helping Reagan to avert wars and the United States was enjoying a peaceful time with no war conflicts. The popularity of Reagan helped to bolster Bushes popularity, as he was closely associated with the President.

There were many controversies during the campaign, including one in which Joe Biden was forced to drop out of the race after the Dukakis campaign released a tape which showed Biden plagiarizing a speech. It was later determined that he gave credit for the speech in every other case.There were also debates about elitism, between the Universities attended by the presidential candidates. In fact, there was great deal of arguing about Harvard and Yale, during the campaign.

In the end, the country chose the candidate that had the most experience, one they believed they could trust. Bush was the first Vice President incumbent to win the presidency in over one hundred and fifty years

 

 

Election of 1828

Election of 1828

The ballot for the election of 1828 included the same candidates as a previous election. The contest was between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. The two were in fact, the only major candidates on the ballot for the election of 1828.
 
 
The campaign for presidency included many rumors and a huge amount of mudslinging between the candidates. For Jackson, family matters were brought to light. It turned out that his marriage to his wife Rachel, had been conducted before she was actually divorced. As a result, the couple had to remarry to legitimize their relationship.
 
 
John Quincy Adams also had difficulties in the public eye. He was accused of giving an American servant to a Czar, while serving as Minister to Russia. In addition, he was accused of utilizing public monies to purchase gambling devices. However, the items purchased were actually a pool table and a chess set.
 
 
Although Andrew Jackson won many electoral votes, the election of 1828 was decided by the house of representatives, who made the determination that John Quincy Adams was president. However, there was great controversy when President John Quincy Adams appointed Clay as his Secretary of State, as a stepping stone the future presidency. In fact, the two were charged with  conspiracy by the public.
 
 

Election of 1860

Election of 1860

 
The Presidential election of 1869 influenced the beginning of the Civil War, as it was clear the Lincoln did not hold the same beliefs as those in the south. There had been constant arguments about the rights each state was entitled to, including those states in slave territory.  The Election polls showed a great divide between the northern and southern states. As indicated by the election polls, Abraham was elected President with no support from the south.
 
 
President elect Lincoln, was aware that the controversy would continue. In fact, before he even entered office, President Elect  Lincoln became aware that some states wished to be seperated from the North. Only a month after being elected, Lincoln was made aware that South Carolina wanted to seperate from the other United States, but the request was denied.
 
 
The ground work for the Civil War had been laid down. In addition to slavery, there were other issues causing conflict between the states and the federal government. The economy, including tariffs, was included in the dispute.
 
 
The issues which were plaguing America, were causing great conflict between the states and even among family members. The country was in turmoil. The American Civil war began in 1861 and continued until 1865. President Lincoln was aware of the turmoil before taking office. However, he did not believe that slavery should be expanded to other states or that states should be separated.
 
 

1968 Presidential Election

1968 Presidential Election

 
The 1968 Presidential election took place after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.  There were riots across the country, in response to the assassination and changes in the civil rights movement. Previous to that, Kennedy had been assassinated and there were demonstrations against  the Vietnam war. The mood in the country was tense.
 
 
The Republican nomination was won by Richard Nixon, who promised to change the climate in the country to one in which peace was restored across the nation. The Democratic nominatation was won by Hubert Humphrey. The 1938 election was the last in which two previous  vice presidents were running against each other. Both candidates had experience in helping to run the country and both were considered good candidates.
 
 
The 1968 presidential election followed the placement of Lyndon B. Johnson in office, after the assassination of President Kennedy. There continued to be race riots, civil rights movement riots and riots against the war. In contrast, there were also  peaceful demonstrations around the nation.  
 
 
The tension in the country regarding the Vietnam war, led to the decline in popularity for Johnson and he did not run again. In fact, he became so unpopular that he was not longer allowed to make certain public appearance, including those requested on college campuses.
 
 
The decline in popularity for Johnson, led to increased popularity for candidates against the Vietnam war. Candidates that were against the war were more popular and eventually Nixon won the election.
 
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