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

1904

Lesson plan.
Theodore Roosevelt vs Alton B. ParkerTheodore Roosevelt won a full term in his own right in a landslide over conservative Democrat Alton B. Parker. Roosevelt had become enormously popular as a trust-busting progressive reformer, and the country was prosperous. Democrats nominated the conservative Parker as a contrast to Roosevelt, but this strategy failed badly. Roosevelt declared after his victory that he would not seek a third term — a pledge he would later regret. His landslide gave him a mandate for continued progressive reform.

In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt (Republican) won the U.S. presidency. Theodore Roosevelt took 336 of the 476 electoral votes to Alton B. Parker's 140. Theodore Roosevelt led the national popular vote with 56.42%. The race falls within the Progressive Era; the lesson packets below dig into its central debates, with Trust-busting 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