The Electoral College (4:00)
Host David Eisenbach explains what the history and purpose of the Electoral College is and why it is so important to America's democratic process.
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Videos (17)
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The Electoral College
The Electoral CollegeVideo Clip (4:00)
Video Clip (4:00)
Host David Eisenbach explains what the history and purpose of the Electoral College is and why it is so important to America's democratic process.
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Campaign Tech
Campaign TechVideo Clip (2:18)
Video Clip (2:18)
Tom Oliphant, of the Boston Globe and political campaign staffers talk about the lack of technology in past presidential campaigns and the advances made since then.
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Ask HISTORY: What's the Electoral College?
Ask HISTORY: What's the Electoral College?Video Clip (2:09)
Video Clip (2:09)
How does the Electoral College really work? Ask HISTORY gets the answers.
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Election 2008: Barack Obama
Election 2008: Barack ObamaVideo Clip (2:21)
Video Clip (2:21)
A look at Barack Obama's presidential campaign and historic win in the 2008 general election
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The Inauguration
The InaugurationVideo Clip (4:15)
Video Clip (4:15)
Host David Eisenbach gives the historic significance of the process by which a newly elected candidate assumes the role of President of the United States of America.
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Kennedy: Communism within the U.S.
Kennedy: Communism within the U.S.Video Clip (0:50)
Video Clip (0:50)
Senator John F. Kennedy talks about the internal threat that communism poses to national security. Kennedy describes that these internal factions are serious and should be taken care of by supporting laws that the U.S. has already passed.
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Transfer of Power
Transfer of PowerVideo Clip (3:53)
Video Clip (3:53)
Host David Eisenbach reveals the process where one president transfers their duties of office to the next president.
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Ask Steve: Southern Strategy
Ask Steve: Southern StrategyVideo Clip (1:23)
Video Clip (1:23)
In this video clip from Ask Steve, the Southern Strategy is explained. It was the republican party's successful plan of getting the white southern population to shift their views from democratic to republican.
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Lincoln's Inaugural Bible
Lincoln's Inaugural BibleVideo Clip (2:09)
Video Clip (2:09)
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administered the oath of office to Abraham Lincoln using a Bible purchased for the occasion. The ceremony was witnessed by Clark of the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carrol, who recorded the occasion in the Bible, which has special significance for President Obama.
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Inaugural Address: Barack H. Obama
Inaugural Address: Barack H. ObamaVideo Clip (3:22)
Video Clip (3:22)
An excerpt from Barack H. Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
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Kennedy's Summation
Kennedy's SummationVideo Clip (2:48)
Video Clip (2:48)
This John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon 1960 presidential debate History Channel video shows Senator Kennedy speaking about the importance of the Social Security Act of 1935 and now was the time to do something for elderly medical care.
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Campaign Spot: Peace Little Girl (1964)
Campaign Spot: Peace Little Girl (1964)Video Clip (1:00)
Video Clip (1:00)
The Daisy ad, one of the most famous political ads of all time, aired only once, but was replayed on the news and elsewhere throughout LBJs campaign. The ad, which implies that a Goldwater presidency could lead to nuclear war, is believed to have played a major role in Johnsons defeat of his opponent.
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Kennedy on His Qualifications
Kennedy on His QualificationsVideo Clip (1:17)
Video Clip (1:17)
See President John F. Kennedy respond to Richard Nixon's accusations that he is immature and ill-qualified to be President of the United States in this debate video. Kennedy explains how they both came to Congress in 1946.
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Kennedy: Teachers' Salaries
Kennedy: Teachers' SalariesVideo Clip (1:32)
Video Clip (1:32)
John F. Kennedy answers back to Nixon's accusation of supporting federal control of teacher salaries. Kennedy explains that was not the question before the Senate in February, the issue was whether to give federal aid to the state to support education.
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Kennedy on 'Extreme' Bills
Kennedy on 'Extreme' BillsVideo Clip (1:24)
Video Clip (1:24)
Senator John F. Kennedy debates that none of the bills proposed by Nixon were extreme like Nixon was suggesting. Kennedy uses Nixon's proposals of $1.25 an hour plan, federal aid to education, and medical care for the aged to prove his point.
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Nixon's Summation
Nixon's SummationVideo Clip (3:19)
Video Clip (3:19)
Listen to the important issues in 1960 in this History Channel video of one of the first televised debates, which took place between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. The video shows Nixon stating his views from the Soviet Union to health insurance.
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Nixon's Opening Statement
Nixon's Opening StatementVideo Clip (2:34)
Video Clip (2:34)
In his opening statement during the first of four "Great Debates" between the two candidates in 1960, Richard Nixon agrees with John F. Kennedy's view of international affairs but disputes the notion that the country's growth has been stagnant.
Speeches & Audio (10)
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Obama's Inaugural Address
Obama's Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (2:16)
Audio Clip (2:16)
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and the nation's first African-American president. In his inaugural address, he reminds Americans that he is taking office "in the midst of crisis" but offers hope in meeting the challenge.
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Reagan’s 1984 Presidential Nomination
Reagan’s 1984 Presidential NominationAudio Clip (0:57)
Audio Clip (0:57)
On August 23, 1984, President Ronald Reagan accepts his party's nomination for a second term. In his speech at the Republican National Convention, President Reagan promises a "springtime of hope" for America.
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Nixon’s First Inaugural Address
Nixon’s First Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (1:13)
Audio Clip (1:13)
After losing his first presidential bid to John F. Kennedy in 1960, former Vice President Richard Nixon brought the Republican Party back into power with a win in the 1968 presidential election. On January 20, 1969, he takes the oath of office and promises to heal a divided nation.
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Reagan’s Second Inaugural Address
Reagan’s Second Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (0:47)
Audio Clip (0:47)
Defeating Democratic nominee Walter Mondale with an unprecedented electoral vote margin, President Ronald Reagan secured a second term as president of the United States. In his inaugural address on January 21, 1985, Reagan introduces the idea of a "new American emancipation."
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Reagan Accepts Presidential Nomination
Reagan Accepts Presidential NominationAudio Clip (1:33)
Audio Clip (1:33)
After unsuccessfully seeking the presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976, Ronald Reagan was nominated at the Republican National Convention on September 7, 1980. In his acceptance speech, the former California governor tells American taxpayers that they do not exist to fund the federal government.
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Nixon's Second Inaugural Address
Nixon's Second Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (1:42)
Audio Clip (1:42)
After a landslide reelection victory, incumbent President Richard Nixon stresses America's role in the pursuit of world peace during his second inaugural address, delivered on January 20, 1973.
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Nixon Reelected to Presidency
Nixon Reelected to PresidencyAudio Clip (1:03)
Audio Clip (1:03)
On November 7, 1972, incumbent President Richard Nixon won a second term in a landslide victory over Democrat George McGovern. In a brief statement from the Oval Office, President Nixon promises to bring "peace with honor" in Vietnam and to usher in a "new era of peace" with the Soviet Union.
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Roosevelt Elected to Third Term
Roosevelt Elected to Third TermAudio Clip (1:30)
Audio Clip (1:30)
From WGN Chicago on November 7, 1940, news reporter Fulton Lewis Jr. details the historic third-term election of Franklin D. Roosevelt as president of the United States.
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Lyndon Johnson's Inaugural Address
Lyndon Johnson's Inaugural AddressAudio Clip (2:02)
Audio Clip (2:02)
On January 20, 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson began his first elected term as president of the United States. In his inaugural address, Johnson calls for the nation to unite toward a common goal.
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Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy Discuss Election Night Results
Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy Discuss Election Night ResultsAudio Clip (2:56)
Audio Clip (2:56)
In a recorded telephone conversation on November 3, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson discusses that night's election results with Robert F. Kennedy, who has just won his Senate race in New York. Johnson speculates about the outcome of his presidential race and asks Kennedy to offer congratulations to his brother Edward for his Senate win in Massachusetts.
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