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election map! use the blank setting to use in class - can use to teach the electoral college or any other number of things in teaching gov't and elections.

Election 2012 is all over the news and, with just a few short weeks remaining until the "big day," your students are probably asking tons of questions about this exciting process. If you're looking for great teaching resources on voting, the candidates and/or the Electoral College, you've come to the right place!

The Presidential Election of 1860

Political Literacy site. Great for an election year!

Great Resources, activities, etc

Chart illustrating election results in Weimar Germany

The political cartoons in this exhibit, drawn by renowned cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman, illustrate the campaign process from the candidate's decision to run for office to the ultimate outcome of the election. Although many political procedures have changed, these cartoons show that the political process has remained remarkably consistent; Berryman's cartoons from the early 20th century remain relevant today. Most of these cartoons appeared on the front page of Washington newspapers from 1898 through 1948. They are part of a collection of nearly 2,400 pen-and-ink drawings by Berryman.

Excellent source site for American political history.

This excellent site from the University of Richmond offers interactive maps and cinematic visualizations of how Americans voted in every election since 1840

From Lincoln's election to the formation of the Confederacy and Fort Sumter.

"We talk a lot about civic education, usually about how little of it too many students get in school. In this charged election season, the subject has rarely, if ever, been more relevant. But here's a different kind of discussion: how kids are actually being engaged in it. Below are several examples that could be used in any school. All of the authors are working in Illinois, where a law was recently passed requiring high schools to provide a semester-long civics course that includes community action of some kind. It says, "Civics course content shall focus on government institutions, the discussion of current and controversial issues, service learning, and simulations of the democratic process." But what they say can apply across the country."

" The 1896 presidential election was one of the most exciting and complicated in U.S. history. This website provides an introduction to one aspect of the campaign: the hundreds of political cartoons published in newspapers around the country. Most of these cartoons have been buried in archival microfilms, where students can't reach them. They offer a window into political structures and issues, society, and culture in the United States, just before the turn of the last century." A great resource on the topic.

Redraw the map on redistricting. Legislators have long used redistricting as an opportunity to select their constituents, rather than empowering voters to elect their representatives. The redistricting following the 2010 Census is an opportunity to change how the process is conducted. Armed with knowledge and the right tools, the public can redraw the map on redistricting.

'The Poor Law Amendment Act was introduced in 1834, centralising the poor relief administrative system. Previously, poor relief had been largely the responsibility of the parish. Expenditure had risen during the Napoleonic Wars and local rate payers and authorities decided that looking after paupers was too costly. When the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed, parishes were grouped into 'unions', managed by boards of guardians who were elected by their constituent parish ratepayers. The new poor law unions were to report to the Poor Law Commissioners, based in Somerset House in London.'

Monday is President's Day in the United States. In celebration of that day, Google has published a new kmz file containing images and links to information about each former President of the United States. You can download the file and launch it in Google Earth or view it here using the Google Earth browser plug-in. The file shows where each president was from, offers an image of each president, provides a link to more information about each president, and shows how many states were in the Union when each president was elected.

This is James Madison telling Thomas Jefferson, and history teachers in the 21st century what went on in the Constitutional Convention. Notice his statement that it was the fear of popularly elected state legislatures that had more to do with the calling of a Constitutional Convention than the failures of the Articles of Confederation. US History Instructional materials teach the opposite