In the last 100 years, has everything changed or is nothing changed? Today we talk about the primaries, party unity, the length of campaigns and outsiders seeking nomination. None of which would have surprised the voter of 1916.
The year 1916 saw a Supreme Court justice resigning his seat in an effort to reunite a bitterly divided party, Socialist and Prohibition candidates vying for attention and space on the ballot, and an incumbent trying to prevent war and win reelection. All of this and more came together to create a truly contentious election season.
The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library has opened a new exhibit called, “I Believe in Democracy,” to shed light on presidential politics then and now. Visit and learn how third parties can affect their larger counterparts, how candidates made their case in an era before internet, television, or even radio, and how the presidency of the United States has attracted people from all walks of life, from professors and neurosurgeons, to judges and businessmen.
The exhibit will be open through Election Day, November 8, 2016, so be sure to let your voice be heard.
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Chris Graham
