Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • Describe the steps that are taken to become the President of the United States.
  • What types of support do presidential candidates need? Explain.

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of Chapman University history professor Luke Nichter discussing the impact of the elections of 1964 and 1966 to open his lecture on Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign and the issues in that year’s presidential election. Direct your students to answer the related question on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #1: Previous Elections (3:10).

  • Why was the 1964 presidential election “terrible” for Republicans?
  • Who considered 1964 a “great year?” Explain.
  • What “political winds” began to shift in the 1950s and 1960s?
  • According to Luke Nichter, what was the significance of the 1966 midterm elections?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage.

  We recommend having your students complete the activity in a jigsaw format to save time. Or, depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students engage in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student is responsible for completing one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.

  Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• BACKGROUND

  Direct students to the Background section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following two video clips that provide background information about Richard Nixon before the 1968 presidential election. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #2: Nixon's Life (3:12).

  • Based on the clip, what was Richard Nixon’s life like shortly before the 1968 presidential election?
  • What was Nixon “eager” to do? Why?
  • How did Nixon “rack up” political favors in the years before the 1968 election?
  • According to Luke Nichter, how have presidential elections changed since the 1960s?

• Clip #3: The Florida Keys (5:34).

  • Based on the clip, where did Richard Nixon retreat to? Why?
  • Which political losses are the “tough ones?” Why?
  • Why was Nixon a “loser” by 1968?
  • What is “very rare” in politics, and how did this complicate Nixon’s decision in 1968?
  • According to Luke Nichter, who did Nixon call for advice?

• DECISION

  Direct students to the Decision section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following six video clips that detail Richard Nixon’s decision to run in the 1968 presidential election and the impact of Billy Graham’s related efforts. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #4: The Voice of Hannah (3:16).

  • Based on the clip, what did Billy Graham assume Richard Nixon would do?
  • Summarize the “trouble” with Graham’s visit.
  • What did Nixon’s mother, Hannah, “encourage” him to do?
  • What did Graham “believe” about Nixon? Why?

• Clip #5: Billy Graham and LBJ (4:59).

  • Based on the clip, who was Billy Graham ‘close’ with before the 1968 presidential election? Why?
  • What engagement did Graham have with “politics?” Explain.
  • According to Luke Nichter, what was Graham told in 1967?
  • How was Graham a “unique figure” in 1968?

• Clip #6: Billy Graham and 1968 (2:28).

  • What decision did Richard Nixon “begrudgingly” make in 1968?
  • Based on the clip, what happened in June 1968?
  • According to Luke Nichter, why did Billy Graham attend the funeral?
  • What occurred next, according to Graham’s “diary?”

• Clip #7: Diary Entry #1 (6:34).

  • Summarize what Billy Graham wrote in the diary entry, as discussed in the clip.
  • Based on the clip, how did President Lyndon B. Johnson view Richard Nixon?
  • According to Luke Nichter, what notable events occurred in 1968?
  • When and how did President Johnson withdraw from the 1968 presidential “race?”
  • How did President Johnson shift “his energies” after his announcement? Explain.

• Clip #8: Diary Entry #2 (5:47).

  • What was Billy Graham continued to be “used” for?
  • When did presidential campaigns typically “kick off?”
  • Based on the clip, what did Richard Nixon ask Graham to do?
  • Summarize Graham’s notes, as shown in the diary entry excerpt.

• Clip #9: Political Context (3:12).

  • What are Americans “conditioned to learn?”
  • According to Luke Nichter, how does today’s political division compare to that of 1968?
  • What is a key “question” to consider?
  • Explain the other “lesson” of 1968.

• ELECTION

  Direct students to the Election section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following six video clips that discuss the 1968 presidential election. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #10: Other Republicans (6:21).

  • Describe the “deep bench” that Republicans had in 1968.
  • Why was George Romney the early “frontrunner,” and why did he “fizzle out?”
  • Who was Nelson Rockefeller, and why were many Republicans “turned off” to him?
  • Why did Richard Nixon not participate in the California primary election, according to Luke Nichter?
  • Explain the purpose and result of the “arrangement” that Nixon had with Ronald Reagan.

• Clip #11: Nixon on the Issues (4:19).

  • In which “wing” of the Republican Party was Richard Nixon?
  • Why was Nixon “acceptable” to both sides of the Party?
  • According to Luke Nichter, why did President Lyndon B. Johnson support Nixon?
  • Based on the clip, how did Nixon campaign with regard to the Great Society?

• Clip #12: The Convention and VP (3:16).

  • Based on the clip, where were the 1968 Democratic and Republican National Conventions held?
  • Why was Richard Nixon’s choice of running mate “controversial?”
  • According to Luke Nichter, why was Nixon’s choice a good decision?
  • What was “another reason” that Nixon selected Spiro Agnew?

• Clip #13: The Democrats (3:35).

  • What was the 1968 Democratic National Convention “overshadowed” by?
  • Who had the “easiest path” to the Party’s nomination? Why?
  • Describe the “rules” for the Democrat’s nominating process at the time, and the role that “loyalty” played.
  • According to Luke Nichter, who was Edmund Muskie and why was he selected as Hubert Humphrey’s running mate?

• Clip #14: 3rd Party Candidate (4:25).

  • What is not seen “very often” in American politics?
  • Where are American presidential elections “settled,” and what role do third party candidates often play?
  • According to Luke Nichter, what was George Wallace the last to do? Explain the significance of his 1968 presidential campaign.
  • Who was Curtis LeMay, and why was he an “odd choice” to be Wallace’s running mate?

• Clip #15: Collusion with South Vietnam (1:59).

  • What question has been “raised” about the 1968 presidential election?
  • Based on the clip, who was Anna Chennault and what is the story surrounding her?
  • According to Luke Nichter, is the story true? Explain.

• REFLECTION

  After your students finish sharing their findings from the last section, direct them to the Reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following final video clip in which Chapman University history professor Luke Nichter discusses the results of the 1968 presidential election. Direct your students to answer the related questions and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #16: Election Results (1:29).

  • Based on the clip, by how many votes did Richard Nixon win the 1968 presidential election?
  • What was more “decisive?” How and why?
  • Summarize Luke Nichter’s ‘final thought’ about the election.
  • What did Nixon have to work to “build” upon being elected? Why?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished with the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having learned about the 1968 U.S. presidential election, detail the steps that led to Richard Nixon’s candidacy and election. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.