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

1956

Lesson plan.
Dwight D. Eisenhower vs Adlai Stevenson IIEisenhower won re-election in an even larger landslide over a second Stevenson challenge, despite concerns about Ike's health after a heart attack in 1955. The Suez Crisis erupted days before the election, which paradoxically helped Eisenhower by reinforcing his image as the steady hand America needed in a dangerous world. Democrats retained control of Congress, making Eisenhower the first president since Zachary Taylor to win while his party lost both houses. A faithless elector in Alabama voted for Walter Jones.

The 1956 U.S. presidential election sent Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) to the White House. Dwight D. Eisenhower took 457 of the 531 electoral votes to Adlai Stevenson II's 73. Dwight D. Eisenhower led the national popular vote with 57.37%. The race falls within the New Deal Coalition era; the lesson packets below dig into its central debates, with Cold 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