1. Which Political Party currently controls the White House?
2. Which Party currently controls the House of
Representatives?
3. Who is your U.S. Representative, and what Party does
he/she belong to?
4. Which Party currently controls the Senate?
5. Name one of our two California U.S. Senators, and the Party
he/she belongs to.
6. When is the first national election you will be eligible to vote?
7. Are you going to vote in that election? Why, or why not?
8. What animal symbol is used by the Democrats?, by the
Republicans?
The now-famous Democratic
donkey was first associated with
Democrat Andrew Jackson's 1828
presidential campaign.
His opponents called him a donkey
(or something closely similar to
Jackson’s name), and Jackson
decided to use the image of the
strong-willed animal on his
campaign posters.
Democrats today say the donkey is smart and brave.
In a cartoon that appeared
in Harper's Weekly in 1874,
famous cartoonist Thomas
Nast drew a donkey clothed
in lion's skin, scaring away
all the animals at the zoo.
One of those animals, the
elephant, was labeled “The
Republican Vote.”
That's all it took for the elephant to become
associated with the Republican Party.
Republicans say the elephant is strong and dignified.
1. Please take notes (Cornell Style).
2. Got a question?, raise your hand!
3. Notes will help with the homework
questions.
WHITE HOUSE
President
Nixon: 1969-1974
Ford: 8/1974-1977
Carter: 1977-1981
Reagan: 1981-1989
Bush 41: 1989-1993
Clinton: 1993-2001
Bush 43: 2001-2009
Obama: 2009-2017
??????: 2017-2021
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
-1970
-1972
-1974
-1976
-1978
-1980
-1982
-1984
-1986
-1988
-1990
-1992
-1994
-1996
-1998
-2000
-2002
-2004
-2006
-2008
-2010
-2012
-2014
-2016
-2018
-2020
WHITE HOUSE
President
Nixon: 1969-1974
Ford: 8/1974-1977
Carter: 1977-1981
Reagan: 1981-1989
Bush 41: 1989-1993
Clinton: 1993-2001
Bush 43: 2001-2009
Obama: 2009-2017
??????: 2017-2021
CONGRESS
House of Reps
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
-1970
-1972
-1974
-1976
-1978
-1980
-1982
-1984
-1986
-1988
-1990
-1992
-1994
-1996
-1998
-2000
-2002
-2004
-2006
-2008
-2010
-2012
-2014
-2016
-2018
-2020
???
???
WHITE HOUSE
President
Nixon: 1969-1974
Ford: 8/1974-1977
Carter: 1977-1981
Reagan: 1981-1989
Bush 41: 1989-1993
Clinton: 1993-2001
Bush 43: 2001-2009
Obama: 2009-2017
??????: 2017-2021
CONGRESS
House of Reps
Senate
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
-1970
-1972
-1974
-1976
-1978
-1980
-1982
-1984
-1986
-1988
-1990
-1992
-1994
-1996
-1998
-2000
-2002
-2004
-2006
-2008
-2010
-2012
-2014
-2016
-2018
-2020
???
???
???
???
Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974
• Republican, 1st president of the Divided Gov’t. Era.
• Former Vice Pres. under Eisenhower, 1953-61.
• Beat V.P. Humphrey in election. Dems. divided over war
in Vietnam, civil rights, and social welfare issues.
• Credited with ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam,
opening “detente” with Soviet Union, and opening
relations with Communist China.
• Implicated in Watergate Affair, break-in to Dem. HQ’s.
• Beat Sen. Geo. McGovern of S.D. in a landslide in 1972.
• Resigned in disgrace following start of Congressional
impeachment hearings in 1974.
Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977
• Republican, Vice President under Nixon who assumed
office of the president with Nixon’s resignation.
• First and only president who was not elected to serve as
either the Vice President or President. (25th Amendment)
• U.S. economy mired in a deep recession during his time
in office.
• Granted Nixon a Presidential Pardon for any crimes
Nixon may have committed while in office.
• Lost the very close presidential election of 1976 to
Democrat Jimmy Carter. Continued economic issues
and the Nixon pardon hurt his reelection bid.
Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
• Democrat, former governor of Georgia.
• U.S. continued to be stuck in a deep recession and
American pride and prestige heavily beaten down over
the fall of the South Vietnamese government.
• Iranian Revolution–Hostage Crisis (seen the movie Argo?)
• Never fully established a feeling of confidence in his
abilities to be an effective president.
• Landslide loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980
presidential election.
• Know today as a great humanitarian – one of the most
famous volunteer workers of Habitat for Humanity
Ronald Reagan 1981-1989
• Republican, former governor of California.
• Initiated sweeping political and economic initiatives to
effect recovery. “Reaganomics,” reduced taxes to spur
spending and economic growth, deregulated much of the
economy and reduced government spending.
• Won re-election in 1984 in another landslide, beat
Carter’s V.P., Walter Mondale.
• Second term focused on foreign policy, put pressure on
the Soviet Union through defense spending, “Star Wars”
space initiative. End of the “Cold War.”
George H. W. Bush (“41”)1989-1993
• Republican, Vice President under Reagan.
• Beat Democratic challenger, Mass. Governor Michael
Dukakis.
• Focused on foreign policy during his term. Built the
military coalition that fought the first Gulf War to push
Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
• Famous quote from 1988 nomination acceptance
speech, “read my lips, no new taxes!,” hurt him in his
1992 re-election bid when he agreed to allow tax raises
due to a weakening economy.
William “Bill” Clinton 1993-2001
• Democrat, Governor of Arkansas.
• Beat President Bush (41) in an election that featured a
strong showing from “3rd party” candidate, Ross Perot.
• First “Baby-Boomer” president.
• Initiated welfare reform and presided over a recovering
economy.
• Beat Republican Congressman Bob Dole in 1996
presidential election.
• Sex scandal involving a White House intern. Impeached
by Congress in 1998 for perjury and obstruction of
justice but was acquitted by Senate on a 55 to 45 vote.
George W. Bush (“43”) 2001-2009
• Republican, Governor of Texas.
• Beat Democrat, V. P. Al Gore in a close election, the
“hanging chad” in Florida issue. Lost popular vote but
won electoral vote.
• Sept. 11th attacks took place during first year of term.
• Launched the “War on Terror” that led to invasion of Iraq
and attacks in Afghanistan.
• Re-elected in 2004 in a close challenge by Democratic
Senator John Kerry.
• “The Great Recession,” deepest economic decline since
the Great Depression of the 1930’s took place at the end
of his second term in office.
Barrack Obama 2009-2017
•
•
•
•
Democrat, Senator from Illinois. First since J.F.K.
Defeated Republican Ariz. Senator John McCain.
Assumed office in midst of the Great Recession.
Initiated numerous economic stimulus packages to help
pull the U.S. economy out of the recession.
• The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act
(Obamacare) established due to his domestic initiatives.
• Defeated former Republican Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney in
2012 presidential election.
• Ended U.S. military involvement in the Iraq War, but has
had to initiate military action in the region against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
1. Since 1969, how many Republican presidents has the U.S. had, and how
many Democrat presidents?
2. What are the animal symbols of the Democrat and the Republican parties?
3. Who was the first “Baby Boomer” president elected?
4. Which president lost the popular vote, but won their office by electoral votes?
5. Which two presidents had impeachment hearings started against them.
6. Who was the first Senator to be elected president since John F. Kennedy.
7. Why is the period from 1968 through today called the Divided Government
Era?
8. Name two presidents during this era who were not reelected to second terms
as president.
Extra Credit: Bush “41” and Bush “43” are not the first Father & Son to serve as
U.S. presidents. Can you name the one other Father & Son U.S. presidents?