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This newsreel-style film for the U.S. Information Agency by Hearst Movietone News documents the 1960 presidential election from the nominating conventions through the concession and victory speeches by Richard Nixon and JFK.
This lesson plan opens with reflective questions that ask students to consider their prior knowledge of the Presidential election process and voter preferences. Students then watch, analyze, and respond to an introductory video that summarizes the 1960 Presidential Election using archival footage. Next, students explore two campaign ads, for both Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Students then engage in a choice board exploration activity, where they choose to study four of nine different topics, including the impact of the religion, fraud, first televised Presidential debates, and the arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The lesson concludes with a reflective prompt and offers an optional extension activity.
This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.
You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handouts and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.
You can also save and share the following Google resources for students to use with this lesson.
Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Docs).
Handout: Choice Board (Google Slides).
In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.
Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose:
Play this introductory video clip [Clip #1] (6:10), which features an archival newsreel-style film documenting the 1960 presidential election, for your students. Direct your students to answer each of the following questions in their graphic organizers.
Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.
Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one or two words. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you previewing the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.
Direct students to the engagement section of their graphic organizers. Have students view both video clips, which feature campaign advertisements from the Nixon campaign [Clip #2] (1:13) and the Kennedy campaign [Clip #3] (1:02). Direct your students to take notes and answer each question below in their graphic organizers. Encourage your students to share their responses with a partner or small group when finished.
Next, have your students choose (or assign) four of the nine topics listed on the choice board (Google Slides). Have students watch the related clip(s) and answer the questions for each section. Direct students to prepare to present their findings with the class when finished.
Clip #4: An Excerpt of the "Checkers" Speech (4:34), Responding to allegations that he operated an illegal “slush” fund, Senator Nixon talked about his finances and denied any wrongdoing. The address is often referred to as the “Checkers speech” because he referred to his dog Checkers as the type of gift he received from supporters. Mrs. Nixon sat in a chair near her husband.
Clip #5: Impact of the "Checkers" Speech (1:46), Irwin Gellman discussed the impact of Richard Nixon's Checkers Speech. The Richard Nixon Foundation hosted this event at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California.
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Pat Nixon
Clip #6: Dwight D. Eisenhower and Pat Nixon (3:45), Irwin Gellman discussed the impact of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Pat Nixon in the 1960 Presidential Election.
Clip #7: Lyndon B. Johnson (3:00), Irwin Gellman discussed the impact of John F. Kennedy's running mate, Lyndon B. Johnson.
Clip #8: Henry Cabot Lodge (4:07), Luke Nichter and Irwin Gellman discussed the impact of Richard Nixon's running mate, Henry Cabot Lodge.
Arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Clip #9: The Arrest and Reaction (4:33), Radio host Virginia Prescott and author Stephen Kendrick discussed the impact of the arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 1960 presidential campaign. This was a virtual event hosted by the Atlanta History Center.
Clip #10: Arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (3:57), Irwin Gellman discussed how the arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the candidates' responses influenced the outcome of the 1960 election.
Clip #11: Religion as a Decisive Factor (2:58), Irwin Gellman discussed how religion was a decisive factor in the 1960 election.
Clip #12: John F. Kennedy on Religion and the Presidency (3:41), Senator John F. Kennedy addressed a special meeting of the Greater Houston Ministerial Association at the Rice Hotel in Houston, Texas. He spoke about the separation of church and state, the issue of having a Catholic as president, and the role that his religion had played up to that point in the 1960 presidential election.
Clip #13: Fraud (4:14), Irwin Gellman re-examined the role that fraud played in the 1960 Presidential election.
Clip #14: Voting Recount in Chicago (3:19), History professor William Rorabaugh responds to an audience question about vote recounts in Chicago during the 1960 Presidential election.
Clip #15: 1960 Presidential Debate (3:06), Author Joel Swerdlow and Professor Stephen Wayne discuss the first televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
Clip #16: Kennedy-Nixon Debate Excerpt (4:40), John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon discuss education during the first presidential debate in 1960.
The Impact of the Debates
Clip #17: Impact of the Debates on the 1960 Election (1:39), Boston Globe correspondent Tom Oliphant talks about how the 1960 debates shaped voter's decisions.
Clip #18: The Great Debates (3:19), Irwin Gellman discussed the impact of the debates on the 1960 election.
Clip #19: Election Results (7:01), This newsreel-style film for the U.S. Information Agency by Hearst Movietone News documents election day and the final results of the 1960 presidential election.
Allow time for your students to prepare their findings from the lesson with their peers. After your students are finished sharing their findings from the choice board exploration activity with the class, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about the 1960 Presidential Election from a variety of primary and secondary sources, describe why you think John F. Kennedy won the election. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.
Have your students conduct additional research into the life and career and of one of the individuals discussed in the lesson (a list is included below). Direct your students to prepare a presentation that includes five key life events, five life accomplishments, five life difficulties, and the how these factors impacted the outcome of the 1960 Presidential election. Have your students share their presentations with their peers and compare their findings with their peers'.