Research Guides: Election Day Resources: 2024 in context

Rare and Distinctive Collections

Classroom: Norlin N345

Reading Room: Norlin M350B

Understanding 2024

The 2024 election has already taken some surprising turns; who’s to say what else it might have in store for us? While no two elections are precisely the same (even between the same candidates), we can look to history to see how elections with similar characteristics have played out.

President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses reporters during his visit to the White House. Also with him is Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (center left, in pinstripe suit) and Joseph Dodge (center, behind Lodge's shoulder). All others are unidentified. Credit: Photographer: Abbie Rowe National Park Service. This item was produced or created on November 18, 1952.

In March of 1952, President Truman announced he would not campaign for reelection for another term. An incumbent president had been on every ballot since 1928, but not in this election. The recently-passed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution meant he would be the last president eligible to run for a third term in office. Senator Ester Kefauver emerged as an early favorite to win the Democratic nomination, but pressure from party leadership resulted in the eventual nomination of Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson for President, with Senator John Sparkman as his running mate. General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Senator Richard Nixon were nominated by the Republican Party, and they ultimately won, the first Republican presidential administration in 20 years.

1952 Presidential Election

Address at the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner.
On March 29, 1952, President Truman announced that he would no longer be running for reelection.
Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Chicago
On July 11, 1952, General Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted the Republican Party's nomination for President. He described the task he saw before himself as a "great crusade-for Freedom in America and Freedom in the world."
Statement by the President: Memorial Day (May 23, 1952)
In this Memorial Day statement, President Truman wrote, "We should pay tribute to [those Americans who have died in the defense of their country] especially because they have shown that aggression cannot pay off. They have thereby given the world a vision and a promise of lasting peace. "
Address in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention.
On July 26, 1952, President Harry Truman addressed the Democratic National Convention ahead of Presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson. He spent much of his speech contrasting the Republican and Democratic party platforms, and told convention attendees, "Throughout the past 20 years, in five presidential elections, millions of confident Americans have gone to their polling places and there pledged their faith in America unlimited, and in a world unrestrained by fear and force."
Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago
On July 26, 1952, Governor Adlai Stevenson accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for President. He spoke starkly about the challenges he saw ahead, even declaring, "Better we lose the election than mislead the people, and better we lose than misgovern the people."
Telegram to the President-Elect
On November 5, 1952, President Truman sent General Eisenhower a telegram, congratulating him on his victory in the presidential election. "I know you will agree with me that there ought to be an orderly transfer of the business of the Executive branch of the Government to the new Administration," Truman wrote.
Remarks Accepting Election as the 34th President of the United States
On November 5, 1952, General Dwight Eisenhower was elected the 34th President of the United States. In his telegram to Governor Adlai Stevens, and his acceptance speech, Eisenhower repeatedly called for unity, saying, "we cannot now do all the job[s] ahead of us except as united people."

When America Liked Ike by Gary A. Donaldson
ISBN: 9781442211759
Publication Date: 2016-11-03
Set against the backdrop of the Korean War and escalating cold war tensions, the 1952 presidential campaign culminated in Eisenhower's landslide victory over Adlai Stevenson. The election exposed deep internal divisions on the left and the right, but especially within the Republican Party.

The Effect of Television Upon Voting Behavior in Iowa in the 1952 Presidential Election
In this June, 1955, article from 'The American Political Science Review,' the authors studied "areas of the United States where there were counties within television reception range and also counties otherwise similar to these with respect to their past voting behavior, but outside the reception area."
When the New York Times Liked Ike: The Newspaper’s Controversial Presidential Endorsements of 1952 and 1956
In this 2022 article from 'American Journalism,' the author writes about the New York Times' then-unprecedented endorsement of Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 Republican primary, illuminating the role the newspaper's publisher, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, played in this decision.
Truman's gift to democracy - free choice in '52
In this April 7, 1952, piece from the New Republic, the author lauds President Truman's decision to forego standing for reelection, and contrasts the leading candidates for the Democratic Party's nomination.

1952 Presidential Campaign (Eisenhower Presidential Library)
Includes news clippings, correspondence, oral histories, speech text, and more.
Walter Johnson Papers on Adlai E. Stevenson, 1952-1955 (Princeton University Library)
"The Walter Johnson Papers on Adlai E. Stevenson contain Johnson's records as co-chairman of the National Committee for Stevenson for President 1952, more popularly known as the Draft Stevenson Committee at the Democratic Convention. Johnson used these records to later write his book, How We Drafted Adlai Stevenson."

Delegates and the Stage at the 1968 Democratic National Convention

The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, after incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection. The convention is famous for strong dissent among party members; competing groups of delegates from several states attempted to be seated for the convention, and the less racially diverse groups were selected to represent the states. Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Senator Eugene McCarthy were the leading candidates for the nomination, following the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy earlier in the year. The delegates Kennedy had won before his death were uncommitted, and coveted by both Humphrey and McCarthy's campaigns. Clashes between the police/National Guard and protestors were also frequent, and broadcast on national television.

1968 Presidential Election

1968 Republican Party Platform
1968 Democratic Party Platform
1968 American Independent Party Platform
In 1968, the third party American Independent Party nominated former Alabama governor George Wallace and retired General Curtis LeMay in the presidential election.

The President's Address to the Nation Announcing Steps To Limit the War in Vietnam and Reporting His Decision Not To Seek Reelection
On March 31, 1968, President Johnson announced that he would no longer seek reelection for a second term, citing issues including the Vietnam War and national division influencing his decision.
Proclamation 3850—Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 1968.
President Johnson's proclamation declared, among other things, "On this Memorial Day, we who remain free by the sacrifice of the dead and the service of the living will requite our debt to both with thoughts and acts of gratitude and love."
Letter to Presidential Candidates Concerning Plans for an Orderly Transfer of Executive Power
In September of 1968, President Johnson sent this identical letter to Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, and George Wallace, identifying the White House staff ready to assist the new administration (whomever it might be) in the transition of leadership.
Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida
In August of 1968, Richard Nixon was nominated as the Republican Party's candidate for President. In his acceptance speech, he repeatedly called for order and announced that, "the long dark night for America is about to end."
Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago
In August of 1968, Vice President Hubert Humphrey was selected as the Democratic Party's nominee for President. In his acceptance speech, he described "three realities" he believed America had to face: "The first reality is the necessity for peace in Vietnam and in the world. The second reality—the second reality is the necessity for peace and justice in our cities and in our nation. And the third reality is the paramount necessity for unity—unity in our country."
Remarks on the CBS Radio Network: "To Keep the Peace"
In October of 1968, candidate Richard Nixon delivered a radio address in which he laid out his foreign policy vision, if he were to be elected President.

Television Coverage of the Democratic National Convention, Chicago, Illinois, 1968. Staff Report
A House Committee report from 1969, investigating allegations of the news media's bias against the police and the government in its coverage of the convention. Unable to find any substantive evidence, the committee made recommendations for the future, but took no action.
Subversive Involvement in Disruption of 1968 Democratic Party National Convention
"Investigates character, magnitude and objectives of activities by various organizations in fostering acts of violence allegedly designed to disrupt Democratic Party National Convention at Chicago, Ill., during August 1968. Focuses on activities of leadership for Students for a Democratic Society, Youth International Party, National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, and Black Panthers."
Rights in conflict: the violent confrontation of demonstrators and police in the parks and streets of Chicago during the week of the Democratic National Convention of 1968. A report.
A report of the activities of the Chicago Police Department during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, taken from eyewitness accounts, film footage, photographs, official records, and news accounts.
Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1945-1992
"Summarizing institutional and other changes that took place in the Army and in American society during this period, it carries the reader through the nation’s use of federal troops during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the domestic upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s associated with the Vietnam War. "

American Maelstrom by Michael A. Cohen
ISBN: 9780199777563
Publication Date: 2016-05-18
The election of 1968 was immediately caught up in a swirl of powerful forces, and the nine men who sought the nation's highest office that year attempted to ride them to victory - or merely survive them.
The Deadly Bet by Walter LaFeber
ISBN: 9780742543911
Publication Date: 2005-03-11
In The Deadly Bet, distinguished historian Walter LaFeber explores the turbulent election of 1968 and its significance in the larger context of American history.

Continuity and Change in American Politics: Parties and Issues in the 1968 Election
In this December, 1969, article from 'The American Political Science Review,' the authors ponder a number of "What if?" questions about the 1968 election, and analyze related survey data.
The 1968 Election in Colorado
In this 1969 article from 'The Western Political Quarterly,' the author analyzes the results of both the local and presidential races in Colorado in 1968.
On overcoming disenchantment: the 1968 election
In this October, 1968, piece, the writers of 'The Christian Century' make observations about Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, and George Wallace's candidacies, and argue for issues they hope the next president champions.

Hubert H. Humphrey: An Inventory of His 1968 Presidential Campaign Files (Minnesota Historical Society)
"The majority of the materials in these files date from April, 1968, when Humphrey announced his candidacy for President, through the post-election days in November. The heaviest concentration is found in the period preceding and during the Democratic national convention in August. Some pre-campaign materials are found throughout; they were used for research or as sources of data. The aftermath of Humphrey's defeat and possible options for the future are expressed in the letters and other materials for December 1968 and early 1969. "
Richard Nixon Campaign 1968 Collection (Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library)
"Pre-Presidential materials are divided in ownership between the National Archives and the Richard Nixon Foundation." Appearance files, campaign correspondence, and research files are among the materials available here.
George C. Wallace Collection (Alabama Department of Archives and History)
Includes "correspondence pertaining to Alabama Governor George C. Wallace’s
gubernatorial administrations and campaigns, plus his presidential campaign," campaign banking records, and campaign contribution receipts.

A photo of the U.S. Capitol Building by Unsplash user https://unsplash.com/@angelvela

If the COVID-19 pandemic is the most consequential event surrounding the 2020 election, the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. capitol is almost certainly the next-most significant. Months of legal challenges to the 2020 election results occurred, and public rejections by President Trump and other figures (via social media, and other methods) of those results accompanied them. During the electoral vote count on January 6, a crowd assaulted the Capitol building and breached it, with the intent of preventing the vote count, and the future transfer of power to a new administration. Members of Congress were evacuated; injuries and fatalities were suffered both among those in the crowd, and law enforcement officers who responded to the riot.

2020 Presidential Election

Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol
"This report will provide greater detail about the multistep effort devised and driven by Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election and block the transfer of power. Building on the information presented in our hearings earlier this year, we will present new findings about Trump’s pressure campaign on officials from the local level all the way up to his Vice President, orchestrated and designed solely to throw out the will of the voters and keep him in office past the end of his elected term."
A look back at Americans’ reactions to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol (Pew Research Center)
"A year later, [in 2022,] here’s a look back at how Americans saw the events of Jan. 6 and how some partisan divisions grew wider over time."
How Networked Incitement Fueled the January 6 Capitol Insurrection (Scientific American)
"[D]isinformation mobilizes and incites political violence under specific conditions, such as a popular public figure calling for help."
John Eastman’s Long, Ignominious Legal Career Might Be Coming to an End (New Republic)
"[I]n an infamous set of memos after Election Day in 2020, [Eastman concluded] that the Twelfth Amendment allows the vice president to throw out individual states’ electoral votes at his discretion and personally declare a winner."

2020 Democratic Party Platform
RESOLUTION REGARDING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM (as adopted by the Republican National Committee)
In declaring the intention to reuse the 2016 platform, the introduction says, "...the 2020 Republican National Convention will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention..." after which follows a reprint of the 2016 Republican Platform.

Remarks at a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, Maryland (May 25, 2020)
While at a Memorial Day ceremony in 2020, President Trump said, "To every Gold Star family here today and all across our land: Our debt to you is infinite and everlasting. We stand with you today and all days to come, remembering and grieving for America's greatest heroes."
Address Accepting the Democratic Presidential Nomination in Wilmington, Delaware
On August 20, 2020, Joseph R. Biden was nominated as the Democratic party's presidential candidate. In his acceptance speech, he said, "No generation ever knows what history will ask of it. All we can ever know is whether we'll be ready when that moment arrives."
Address Accepting the Republican Presidential Nomination
On August 27, 2020, President Donald Trump was again nominated by the Republican party as its presidential candidate. In his acceptance speech, he said, "This is the most important election in the history of our country... At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between the parties, two visions, two philosophies or two agendas."
Address in Wilmington, Delaware Accepting Election as the 46th President of the United States
On November 7, 2020, accepting his election as the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden said, "Refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another. It's not some mysterious force beyond our control. It's a decision, a choice we make. And if we can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide to cooperate."
Campaign Statement by President Donald J. Trump
On November 7, 2020, President Trump issued remarks that included the following: "The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor."
Videotaped Remarks on the Attack on the United States Capitol, the Certification of the Electoral College Results, and the Transition to a New Administration
In his January 7, 2021, remarks, President Trump said, "We have just been through an intense election, and emotions are high. But now tempers must be cooled and calm restored. We must get on with the business of America."