Andrew McGill

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. TEXT ON SCREEN: 1977 ARCHIVAL (PRO-LIFE RALLY, 11-19-77):PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY: We reject the anti-family goals of the Equal Rights Amendment. The American women do not want abortion. They do not want lesbian privileges and they do not want universal childcare in the hands of the government. […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. VICKY RIDEOUT (DIRECTOR OF SPEECHWRITING, 2004 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION): The first time I heard about him was when Jack Corrigan walked into my office and said, “I’m thinking about taking a chance with the keynote on this young guy out of Chicago.” CONVENTIONAL WISDOMTHE SPEECH: […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. Transcript in Spanish MICHAEL BURLINGAME (AUTHOR, “ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A LIFE”): If a particularly powerful issue grabs the public imagination, and you try to sweep it under the rug, that’s not going to work. Eventually push was going to come to shove. CONVENTIONAL WISDOMTHE SPLIT: 1860 […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. ROBERT SLAYTON (AUTHOR, “EMPIRE STATESMAN: THE RISE AND REDEMPTION OF AL SMITH”): Chaos. Total, unmitigated chaos. The 1924 Democratic convention is the longest in the history of the United States. People were fighting constantly, screaming, so they were really debating what America was. CONVENTIONAL WISDOMA […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. STAN HAYNES (AUTHOR, “THE FIRST AMERICAN POLITICAL CONVENTIONS”): Third-party movements in American history have been likened to wildfires on the prairie. They have intense heat, but they burn out very quickly. The Anti-Mason Party was not on the political scene very long, but they did […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. RICK PERLSTEIN (AUTHOR, “BEFORE THE STORM: BARRY GOLDWATER AND THE UNMAKING OF THE AMERICAN CONSENSUS”): They’re desperately trying to keep the people in the galleries quiet because this looks like this is going off the rails. This is like the conservative Woodstock. CONVENTIONAL WISDOMTHE OUTSIDER […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. CRAIG SHIRLEY (AUTHOR, “REAGAN’S REVOLUTION: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE CAMPAIGN THAT STARTED IT ALL”): If you were a Reagan person, then Ford was the enemy. And if you were a Ford person, then Reagan was the enemy. Nobody was unsure in 1976. CONVENTIONAL WISDOMTHE […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. ARCHIVAL (NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION, 2011):MARK BLOCK: We need you to get involved, because together we can do this – we can take this country back. MARK BLOCK: Have you ever tried to autograph a cigarette? IMAGE MAKERS: POLITICAL ADS THAT SHAPED THE […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. MATT H. MAYES: We purposely chose lower quality cameras to feel like anyone could have made this video. MIKE GRAVEL: I wasn’t aware that they were using second-class equipment. That would’ve maybe affected my attitude. IMAGE MAKERS: POLITICAL ADS THAT SHAPED THE BATTLE FOR THE […]

Click here for the full video page and educator materials. ARCHIVAL (WILLIE HORTON AD, 1988):NARRATOR: Despite a life sentence, Horton receive 10 weekend passes from prison. FLOYD BROWN: It’s like a baseball player. A lot of times, you’re going to do an ad and you strike out. Nobody even cares about it. It’s rare that […]