Elections: A History
How have presidential elections evolved over the years? Travel back in time to past conventions and debates featuring figures like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
President Abraham Lincoln
Elected in 1861
Two Lesser-Known Sides of Lincoln with Scholar Harold Holzer (2015-05-21)WNET
Did you know that Lincoln met his vice president two weeks after he was elected to the presidency?
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Elected in 1933
In 1920, FDR was nominated for vice president.
F.D.R. (1944-11) by George SkaddingLIFE Photo Collection
Three years after FDR was elected governor of New York, he sought the presidency.
Roosevelt Fireside Chat (1938-04) by Thomas McavoyLIFE Photo Collection
FDR delivered his first radio address the day after he was elected president, November 9, 1932.
FDR Behind The Wheel (1935-01-01) by FPGGetty Images
FDR was living at the Roosevelt House in New York when he was elected president of the United States.
Treasures of New York: Four Freedoms Park (2013-10-31) by Treasures of New YorkWNET
Jackie Robinson and the Republican party
1960 and 1964 Elections
When Jackie Robinson retired from baseball in the late 1950s, he began to show an interest in politics.
In the 1950s, many black voters aligned themselves with the republican party.
By Alfred EisenstaedtLIFE Photo Collection
Senator Barry Goldwater won the republican nomination in 1960, splintered the party.
Not Eligible to Vote, Montclair Teens Petition to Get Female Moderator at Presidential Debates (2012-08-03) by NJTV NewsWNET
The presidential campaigns come every 4 years, but what's been missing for 20 years? A female moderator. In 2012, these Montclair teens petitioned to change that.
Political cartoon (1895)WNET
Political Cartoon (1895)
“When Theodore Roosevelt was commissioner, he tried to enforce all the laws and all police conduct rules, to the absolute shock of most New Yorkers. He made special efforts to have fair elections. The Bureau of Elections was soon separated from the police department which reduced the police force’s roll in tabulating the votes.”
New Yorkers Line Polls to Vote Despite Storm Troubles by Treasures of New YorkWNET
New Yorkers Line Polls to Vote Despite Storm Troubles
Broken scanners and allegedly disorganized poll staffing at PS 92 on Parkside Avenue in Brooklyn led to waits longer than two hours. The polling site was still packed at 9 p.m., the close of voting time in New York. Photo courtesy Marc Joseph Rosenblatt.
A Lesson On The History Of Super Tuesday (2016-03-01) by MetrofocusWNET
How significant is Super Tuesday historically?
What is a brokered convention and when was the last time we witnessed one?
There's a rich history of turmoil within the democratic and republican parties.
