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

1964

Lesson plan.
Lyndon B. Johnson vs Barry GoldwaterLyndon Johnson won the largest popular vote landslide in US history, carrying 61% against conservative Senator Barry Goldwater. Johnson benefited from Kennedy's assassination, national mourning, and his own Great Society agenda. Goldwater's willingness to use nuclear weapons and his opposition to the Civil Rights Act alarmed many voters. The famous 'Daisy' TV ad implied Goldwater might start a nuclear war. Johnson's landslide gave him a massive Congressional majority to pass Medicare, the Voting Rights Act, and Great Society programs.

In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic) won the U.S. presidency. Lyndon B. Johnson took 486 of the 538 electoral votes to Barry Goldwater's 52. Lyndon B. Johnson led the national popular vote with 61.05%. 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