The American Vote
Progressive EraAll 5 grade bands · K-2 through APFree download

1900

Lesson plan.
William McKinley vs William Jennings BryanMcKinley won re-election in a rematch against Bryan, running on prosperity and 'the full dinner pail.' The Spanish-American War of 1898 had made America a colonial power, and Bryan campaigned against imperialism in the Philippines. Theodore Roosevelt was selected as McKinley's running mate to sideline the reform-minded New York governor. McKinley's victory was decisive, but he was assassinated in September 1901, elevating the 42-year-old Roosevelt to the presidency.

In 1900, William McKinley (Republican) won the U.S. presidency. William McKinley took 292 of the 447 electoral votes to William Jennings Bryan's 155. William McKinley led the national popular vote with 51.64%. The race falls within the Progressive Era; the lesson packets below dig into its central debates, with Imperialism and the Philippine-American War among the major themes.

What is in each packet
Cover
Cycle metadata + band eyebrow
Lesson plan
Instructor — timing, materials, standards
Reading
Sized to grade band (K-2: ~250 words → AP: ~650)
Background
Curated cycles — 5-7 vocab terms + primary-source excerpt
Student worksheet
K-2: 3 questions → AP: 8, mixed format
Answer key
Instructor — rationale on every item
Discussion prompts
3 prompts tied to era
DBQ (AP only)
Long-essay + 5-point rubric + second source
Download by grade band
  • K-2
    Story
    4 pp
    20 min
    Free
  • 3-5
    Reading
    5 pp
    35 min
    Free
  • 6-8
    Reading
    6 pp
    50 min
    Free
  • 9-12
    Source
    8 pp
    75 min
    Free
  • AP
    DBQ
    12 pp
    105 min
    Free