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

1952

Lesson plan.
Dwight D. Eisenhower vs Adlai Stevenson IIWorld War II hero Dwight Eisenhower ended 20 years of Democratic presidential rule with a decisive victory over Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson. 'Ike' appealed across party lines as a non-partisan national hero, and his promise to 'go to Korea' — resolving the unpopular Korean War — resonated powerfully. The election also saw the first extensive use of television campaign advertising. Richard Nixon's 'Checkers speech' on television saved his spot on the ticket after a campaign finance controversy.

The 1952 U.S. presidential election sent Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) to the White House. Dwight D. Eisenhower took 442 of the 531 electoral votes to Adlai Stevenson II's 89. Dwight D. Eisenhower led the national popular vote with 55.18%. The race falls within the New Deal Coalition era; the lesson packets below dig into its central debates, with Korean 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