The American Vote
New Deal CoalitionAll 5 grade bands · K-2 through APFree download

1948

Lesson plan.
Harry S. Truman vs Thomas E. DeweyHarry Truman survived defections from both left and South, defeating expectations and holding the Democratic coalition together.

In 1948, Harry S. Truman (Democratic) won the U.S. presidency. Harry S. Truman took 303 of the 531 electoral votes to Thomas E. Dewey's 189. Harry S. Truman led the national popular vote with 49.55%. The race falls within the New Deal Coalition era; the lesson packets below dig into its central debates, with Civil rights 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