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

1960

Lesson plan.
John F. Kennedy vs Richard NixonJohn Kennedy narrowly defeated Richard Nixon in a close race shaped by television, religion, Cold War anxiety, and turnout.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy (Democratic) won the U.S. presidency. John F. Kennedy took 303 of the 537 electoral votes to Richard Nixon's 219. John F. Kennedy led the national popular vote with 49.72%. 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