VSJ100 Paper Topics

In January 1964, Senator Margaret Chase Smith announced her candidacy for President of the United States: https://youtu.be/MsgfHhWE9LE

She did not achieve the nomination of the Republican Party, but she was the first woman in the United States to be in the running as a major political party's presidential candidate.

Describe her candidacy by examining newspaper accounts from the time.  Among other things, focus on things like:

• What was the basis of her candidacy?
• What did she believe?  
• What was her campaign like? Who supported her?
• What was the contemporary reaction to her candidacy?
• How did she do in the primaries?

Here are links to articles:

• https://ezproxy.niagara.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/search/2286154?accountid=28213
• https://tinyurl.com/5y3drdne
• https://tinyurl.com/z9kej37k

Tip

• Be careful not to just summarize the articles. Identify patterns and create a coherent narrative. Present numerous examples from your articles to support your assertions.  Look for interesting information that provides insight into the era.
• Provide a brief amount of biographical background information, but focus on her political campaign as revealed in contemporary newspaper and magazine accounts.

• Please only use the sources listed above except to fill gaps. For example, you can use reputable web sites to:

  • Identify a person
  • Define a technical term  
  • Clarify chronology
  • Find images