Subjects

Social Studies – U.S. History, Government/Civics

Grade Level

8-12

Lesson Duration

• 2-3 class periods (and suggested extensions for additional periods)

Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze and assess the causes and consequences of the division within the Republican Party’s conservative and moderate wings.
• Summarize, compare and contrast, and draw logical inferences from primary source documents regarding the 1964 Republican Party presidential nominating convention and general election.
• Collaborate with peers in pairs and/or small groups to discuss, analyze, and assess text and visual primary source documents.
• Develop a position and present a viewpoint based on historical evidence.

Materials:

• Retro Report video 1964 Republican Convention: Chaos & Conservatism
• Student Activity handout
• Internet access for accompanying resources, including those below:
• Convention Speeches:
  • Goldwater’s 1964 Acceptance Speech (excerpts) | The Washington Post
  • Ronald Reagan’s speech “A Time For Choosing,” October 27,1964  | University of Virginia, Miller Center
  • Excerpt from the speech George Romney delivered to GOP delegates at the 1964 convention  | CBS News
  • Excerpt from former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s address to the Republican National Convention in San Francisco | The New York Times [This speech is provided as an additional option, but is not reflected in the assignment itself.]
• Political Cartoons:
  • “Why Can’t there Be” | Indiana University Bloomington
  • “Goldwater Republicanism or Rockefeller Republicanism” | Library of Congress
  • “Is He Leaning on It or Holding it Up?” | Indiana University Bloomington
  • “And How Would You Describe Your Domestic Policy, Sen. Goldwater” | Indiana University Bloomington
  • “Mixer” | Pritzker Military Museum and Library
  • “Eh? Wha’s that? speak up!”| Pritzker Military Museum and Library
  • “Now Put One Foot Behind the Other” | Indiana University Bloomington
  • “Honest Abe, It’s Better This Way” | Indiana University Bloomington
  • “A Choice to Echo Through History” | The State Historical Society of Missouri
  • “Hi-Yo, Silver, Awa-a-a-a-y” | The State Historical Society of Missouri
  • “Why Not Victory Through Airpower?” | The State Historical Society of Missouri
  • “At Last, You Lucky People Have a Choice” | The State Historical Society of Missouri

Procedure:

1. The teacher will select and display one of the suggested essential questions as a thought-provoking framework for the lesson’s development and the student’s critical analysis and assessment.
2. Warm-up: Refer students to the Student Activity handout and direct them to the warm-up question for their consideration.
3. As a class, have students view the film “1964 Republican Convention: Chaos & Conservatism” (duration: 6:05) and answer the related questions.
4. Individually or in pairs, have students examine Barry Goldwater’s convention speech with its corresponding Document Analysis portion of the graphic organizer.
   1. Decide if the text is at a level that is manageable for your students to read independently. If it is, let them do a close reading of the text and fill out the graphic organizer for the platform. If the text level is too challenging, then “share read” the document with the students by having the students follow along silently while the teacher begins reading aloud. The teacher then asks the class to join in with the reading after a few sentences while the teacher continues to read aloud. This technique will support struggling readers and English language learners.
5. Have students choose one of the 1964 election political cartoons. The teacher can decide to use at least two or more of the cartoons depending on the time that the teacher wants to use for the topic. Students will complete the Details, Description, and Decision portion of the organizer. Ask the students to complete all four quadrants of the chart for each cartoon. One or two students from each small group should share their findings with the class.
6. Individually or in pairs, have students examine George Romney’s convention speech with its corresponding Document Analysis portion of the graphic organizer. The goal of this section is for students to gain an understanding of Romney’s moderate Republican position as an alternative viewpoint to Goldwater’s vision for the Republican Party and American society in the 1960s.
7. The same procedure can be used for either or both of the following speech excerpts:
   1. Dwight Eisenhower’s convention speech.
   2. Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” convention speech.
8. Using information from the textual and visual primary sources, students will develop a viewpoint on the lesson’s essential question. The teacher may assign this in pairs or small groups, and can then ask groups to present their viewpoint to the class.

Extension Activity:

1. Teachers can also have their students explore and enhance their comprehension and analysis of the 1964 presidential campaign through music and/or campaign ads. Examples include “Let’s Carry Barry to the White House,” a song produced by the Goldwater campaign. Teachers can also use the Retro Report film “Daisy: Political Ads That Changed the Game.”
2. Students could engage in a mock “News Conference,” using excerpts from the Goldwater, Romney, Eisenhower and Reagan speeches.
   1. Divide the class into groups of four to six students; each group is assigned or chooses one of the four speeches. It is best if all four texts are used before doubling up on any of the speeches.
   2. Students select who will portray the speaker, and the other members of the group will portray reporters at the news conference.
   3. Working together, the students will write both the questions and the answers to those questions on this form. The questions should highlight the major issues in the speech. The students should be careful to cite evidence from the text in the answers given by the speaker. Each student will fill out their own complete copy of the questions and answers, not just their own question.
   4. Have the “candidate” deliver their speech and take questions from “reporters.”

About the Authors:

John McNamara and Ron Nash are veteran classroom teachers, curriculum developers and Senior Education Fellows at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Standards

Common Core Literacy Standards

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
• CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.RH.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies

• D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.
• D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
• D4.1.6-8. Construct arguments using claims and evidence from multiple sources, while acknowledging the strengths and limitations of the arguments.
• D3.1.6-8. Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.
• D1.4.9-12. Explain how supporting questions contribute to an inquiry and how, through engaging source work, new compelling and supporting questions emerge.

AP U.S. History

• Topic 8.9: The Great Society
  Skill 1.B: Explain a historical process.
  Theme 5: Politics and Power (PCE)

AP Government and Politics

• Unit 5: Political Participation
  Topic 5.3: Political Parties
  Topic 5.8: Electing a President
  Topic 5.9: Congressional Elections
  Topic 5.10: Modern Campaigns