Share the History of the Voting Ballot with the Young People in Your Life
Exclusive New Article Now Available on
OurWhiteHouse.org
OurWhiteHouse.org, the NCBLA's companion
educational website to the art and literature anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out,
features a treasure trove of exclusive articles, discussion questions,
activities, and other resources to help young people connect with American
history. Both the Our White House website and book are perfect partners for helping you get kids engaged in this year's presidential election!
JUST ADDED to OurWhiteHouse.org is a new web exclusive "From Peas to Paper to IPads: The Evolution of the Ballot in America" by NCBLA volunteer writer Heather Lang.
Parents, teachers, and librarians--did you know that in America's earliest days voters sometimes cast their ballots using peas--or even bullets?! Did you know that until the late nineteenth century voting was a public act because most Americans believed that private voting was cowardly?! You can read
all about how the form of the ballot and the method used to cast a vote have evolved in Lang's exclusive article. We encourage you to
share this article--and the accompanying discussion questions and activities--with
all the young people in your life.
Here is an excerpt:
The Constitution left it up to each state to decide
what voting mechanism it would use, but until the late nineteenth century almost
all states had one thing in common: voting was a public act. Many people thought
the idea of voting privately, like we do today, was disgraceful and cowardly.
This early voting system was wrought with fraud and
abuse. Politicians, thugs, and partisans intimidated voters at the polls. Tenant
farmers opted to stay home rather than face their landlords while casting their
votes. It was legal for politicians to bribe voters by handing out their party
ticket with a coin. Ballots were stolen. Voters were mugged. Ballot boxes were
stuffed or designed with hidden compartments so votes could be added without
unlocking them. Not surprisingly there were sometimes more votes than voters.
As our country evolved, so did our voting system.
To read the entire
article detailing the history of the American ballot, click here.
Heather Lang is the author of the just published nonfiction book Queen of the Track, illustrated by award-winning illustrator Floyd Cooper. Queen of the Track tells the inspiring story of Olympic athlete Alice Coachman. To learn more about Heather and her books, visit her website.
Our White House is an outstanding collection of essays,
personal accounts, historical fiction, and poetry that melds with an equally
stunning array of original art to offer a look at America’s history through the
prism of the White House. Starting with a 1792 call for designers and continuing
through the present day, these highly engaging writings and illustrations,
expressing varied viewpoints and interwoven with key historical events, are a
vital resource for family and classroom sharing -- and a stirring reminder that
the story of the White House is the story of every American.
To learn more about Our White
House, click here.
For more articles and resources related to
presidential elections, check out the OurWhiteHouse.org Civic Education page AND our other NEW exclusive "The Second Shall Be First: The 1948 Presidential Election--Truman V. Dewey" by Renee Critcher Lyons.
Our White House is available
in both hardcover and paperback.
in both hardcover and paperback.
Ask for Our White House at a library or
bookstore near you!
