Short answer: non-text source
Presidential elections and voter turnout, 1824–1848
- Unit 4
- 3 points
- About 13 minutes
You analyze a chart, table, map or image and answer three short parts about what it shows and the history behind it. Here the source is a data table. On the exam: Short-answer question 3 of 3, required; the three short-answer questions share a 40-minute section worth 20% of the score.
The question and its sources
On the exam this question's source is a chart, map or image; here it's a data table. Use the table to answer parts a, b and c. Write a few sentences for each part; you don't need a thesis.
How presidential electors were chosen, and voter turnout, 1824–1848
| Election | States in the Union | States where the legislature, not the voters, chose presidential electors | Estimated turnout of eligible voters | Winner (party) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1824 | 24 | 6 | 26.9% | John Quincy Adams (no formal parties; chosen by the House of Representatives) |
| 1828 | 24 | 2 | 57.6% | Andrew Jackson (Democratic) |
| 1832 | 24 | 1 | 55.4% | Andrew Jackson (Democratic) |
| 1836 | 26 | 1 | 57.8% | Martin Van Buren (Democratic) |
| 1840 | 26 | 1 | 80.2% | William Henry Harrison (Whig) |
| 1844 | 26 | 1 | 78.9% | James K. Polk (Democratic) |
| 1848 | 30 | 1 | 72.7% | Zachary Taylor (Whig) |
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (1975), series Y 1–26 (methods of choosing electors), Y 27 (voter participation; estimates by the political scientist Walter Dean Burnham) and Y 79 (number of states). Turnout is the share of the estimated eligible electorate, mostly adult white men, who voted. From 1832 on, the only state whose legislature still chose electors was South Carolina, which did so until 1860.
Suggested time: 13 minutes
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Part (a)
1 pointBriefly describe ONE change in presidential elections shown in the table.
0 / 2,500 characters
Part (b)
1 pointBriefly explain ONE development in the period 1800 to 1840 that contributed to the change you described in part a.
0 / 2,500 characters
Part (c)
1 pointBriefly explain ONE way that participation in politics remained limited in the period 1820 to 1848, despite the changes shown in the table.
0 / 2,500 characters
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