Term paper on The Presidential Election of 1932

The Presidential Election of 1932

RESOURCE GUIDE

Republicans again nominated incumbent Herbert Hoover as their presidential candidate in 1932; Democrats, despite some strong opposition, chose New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt ,

breaking with tradition, accepted the nomination in person and promised ‘‘a new deal for the American people.” Throughout the campaign, he and his advisers, notably three Columbia University professors known collectively as the brain trust, attacked Hoover ‘s failure to end the Depression and outlined a general, and sometimes contradictory, course of government activism to be pursued. Voters elected Roosevelt by a landslide vote and gave him strong Democratic majorities in Congress.

Suggestions for Term Papers

1. Why did the Democrats select FDR as their presidential candidate?

2. Compare the campaigns and promises of Hoover and Roosevelt .

3. Discuss the contributions of the brain trust to Roosevelt ‘s campaign and election.

4. Analyze the failure of the Socialist party to attract more votes.

5. What was ‘‘new” about the New Deal?

Suggested Sources : See entry 32 for related items.

REFERENCE SOURCES

America at the Polls: A Handbook of American Presidential Election Statistics . Alice V. McGillivray and Richard M. Scammon. Washington , DC : Congressional Quarterly, 1994. 2 vols. Volume 1 treats the elections from Harding to Eisenhower. Good presentation and analysis of election returns in summaries by state and county.

Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to U.S. Elections . 3d ed. John L. Moore, ed. Washington , DC : Congressional Quarterly, 1994. Similar to the previous book but with a less detailed analysis of presidential elections. Also provides treatment of the House and Senate elections.

Encyclopedia of the American Presidency . Leonard W. Levy and Louis Fisher, eds. New York : Simon&Schuster, 1994. 4 vols. Excellent coverage with great detail. Over 1,000 entries from over 300 experts covering individuals, issues, cases, and other materials. Fine bibliographic references.

The Presidents Speak: The Inaugural Addresses of the American Presidents from Washington to Clinton . David N. Lott. New York : Holt, 1994. In addition to the inauguration speech, provides a biography, interpretation of events at the time, and analysis of the speeches. Informative and interesting.

Student’s Atlas of American Presidential Elections, 1789–1996 . Fred L. Israel. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, 1997. Statewide voting shown with color-coded maps for each election along with charts. Includes data on minor parties. The display for the 1932 election clearly illustrates Roosevelt’s victory.

The World Almanac of Presidential Campaigns . Eileen Shields-West. Mahwah, NJ: Pharos/World Almanac, 1992. Popular compilation of statistics, fascinating facts, anecdotes, and ephemera about each election. Describes the selection of the ticket, the candidates, slogans, songs, and other facets of the campaign.

The Young Oxford Companion to the Presidency of the United States . Richard M. Pious. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Brief alphabetically arranged articles on personalities, events, issues, concepts, and so forth. Even-handed, balanced treatment, with a good bibliography.

GENERAL SOURCES

Boller, Paul F. Presidential Campaigns . Rev. ed. Cleveland: World Almanac Education, 1996. Treatment of every presidential campaign in American history with a brief description and highlights.

Lichtman, Allan J., and Ken DeCell. The Thirteen Keys to the Presidency . Lanham, MD: Madison Books, 1990. Thirteen historical factors (the keys) that helped to determine the outcomes of presidential elections since 1860—four political keys, seven performance, and two personality.

Parrish, Michael. Anxious Decades: America in Prosperity and Depression , 1920–1941 . New York: Norton, 1992. Liberal interpretation of these tension-filled years. Good understanding of the conditions on which the 1932 campaign was fought.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Crompton, Samuel. The Presidents of the United States . New York: Smithmark, 1992. Brief narrative summary of personal, social, and political events for each term of office. With illustrations.

Havel, James T. U.S. Presidential Candidates and the Elections: A Biographical and Historical Guide . New York; Macmillan, 1996. 2 vols. Good compilation of statistics (vol. 2) biographical and historical narrative about some 3,500 persons (vol. 1).

Lyons, Eugene. Herbert Hoover: A Biography . (1964). Reprint. Norwalk, CT: Easton, 1989. Readable but somewhat dated biography of Hoover.

Miller, Nathan. FDR: An Intimate History . New York: Doubleday, 1983. Comprehensive treatment of FDR prior to and during the presidency. Popular and readable, and based on secondary sources.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

Roosevelt and U.S. History (1930–1945) . Columbus, OH: Coronet/MTI Film&Video, 1977. Videocassette. 32-minute documentary narrated by Michael Redgrave and Anthony Quayle. Begins with the Depression years under Hoover and traces Roosevelt’s career.

WORLD WIDE WEB

Ripon College. ‘‘Franklin Delano Roosevelt.” American Presidents. August 1997. http://www.ripon.edu/dept/pogo/presidency/Pres.List.HTML Provides outline and textual coverage of every American president from Washington to Clinton, including treatment of each election. Brief but informative description of the campaign and election of 1932, including voting statistics and enumeration of states carried.