Pivotal Elections in U.S. History

In this course, students will examine four pivotal presidential elections: 1800, 1860, 1932 and 2016. We will begin the course by understanding the basics of running for president, from the eligibility requirements in the Constitution to how the Electoral College works. Then, students will delve into the four presidential elections and study the issues, the candidates, and the historical context surrounding each one. Students will hone their critical thinking skills by looking at primary source texts and images and applying the lessons from the past to our world today. Which aspects of elections have stayed the same? Which have changed? Why were these elections significant? How did they impact both U.S. history and the world?

Anne Continetti

Anne Continetti is currently a faculty member at St. Albans's School of Public Service, a summer program for rising seniors in high school. Previously, she was a history teacher at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. and the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia. She worked as a curriculum consultant designing common-core-aligned lesson plans to accompany the What So Proudly We Hail curriculum, and her lesson plan for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was featured on www.sharemylesson.com. Mrs. Continetti graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in History and received her Master's in Education from The George Washington University. Prior to teaching, Mrs. Continetti worked as an advance staffer on a presidential campaign and was a political analyst at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). She is a member of the Board and active in the PTO at her children’s school, Gesher Jewish Day School. Mrs. Continetti lives in McLean, Virginia, with her husband, Matt, and two children, Leo (7) and Charlotte (5).

Pivotal Elections in U.S. History

Anne Continetti

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