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S E P T. 27 O C T. 4, LESSON PLAN: 2008
What’s in a Campaign Slogan?
Curriculum links: Current events, civics, American history, social studies, critical thinking
Newspaper activities: Have students scan the newspaper for articles on the current campaign. What tactics are the candidates using to promote themselves and their agendas? Do the articles include the candidates’ current slogans? How do Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama work their slogans into their speeches?
the Whig Party’s nominee for President in 1839, the former military leader used a new tool to win his way into Do slogans created by Presidential the Oval Office. Harrison and his running mate, John campaigns help voters get to know Tyler, were the first candidates to use campaign slogans, the candidates better? How songs, and modern paraphernalia during an election. important is a good motto to a Harrison, who was an uninspired military leader during his successful Presidential campaign? Are the slogans always true? What years with the Army, was remade as a common man and are some other famous slogans? war hero during the campaign against Martin Van Buren. Which one is your favorite? Harrison had led the Army to victory over the Indians in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, a fact the Whigs turned into the first-ever campaign slogan: “Tippecanoe and Tyler too.” The phrase also was turned into a song that praised Harrison and Tyler while degrading their opponents. The Whigs used the campaign slogans used the campaign slogans to create a persona for Harrison that made him seem like a commoner, rather than a wealthy, out-of-touch politician. Since that election, campaign slogans and memorabilia have become a staple of U.S. Presidential campaigns. The mottos have ranged from George W. Bush’s “Compassionate Conservatism” in 2000 to the 1928 campaign season’s “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” Almost all of the slogans try to create an image for the candidate that helps voters relate to him or her. Other famous slogans include Abraham Lincoln’s “Don’t swap horses in the middle of the stream,” Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “I like Ike,” and Jimmy Carter’s “Not Just Peanuts.” All of the slogans sought to create an image for the candidates and further their agendas. Lincoln’s motto tried to convince voters they shouldn’t change leaders during the Civil War. Eisenhower’s was simpler: He used his nickname to promote himself to voters. Carter’s motto tried to assure candidates that, despite his background as a peanut farmer, he had other qualifications that made him fit to be elected President.
Classroom Debates
Briefing: When William Henry Harrison was named
Resources: Books: Jan R. Van Meter’s Tippecanoe and Tyler Too: Famous Slogans and Catchphrases in American History (University of Chicago, 2008), Robert North Roberts’ and Scott John Hammond’s Encyclopedia of Presidential Campaigns, Slogans, Issues, and Platforms (Greenwood, 2004), and Charles Osgood’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the White House (Hyperion, 2008). Websites: Read a full list of Presidential campaign slogans from Presidents USA, listen to Harrison’s “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” song on Wikipedia, and watch an Eisenhower campaign commercial on YouTube.