America’s Contentious Presidential Elections: A History

As the 2020 election approaches, this week we hosted program about the history of presidential elections. Experts Franita Tolson of USC Law, Edward Foley of Ohio State Law, James Ceaser of the University of Virginia, and Robert Lieberman of Johns Hopkins University joined National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to discuss the most contentious elections in American history—including one of the first controversial elections—1800—pitting Thomas Jefferson against Aaron Burr; the election of 1860 which set the stage for the Civil War; and the 2000 election which led to the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore. The panelists also explore the questions: How might controversy arise in the 2020 election, and what can we learn from history to try and avoid it? If you enjoyed this conversation, please check out last week’s episode to learn more about one of the elections covered in this conversation: The Hayes-Tilden Election of 1876. This program was presented in partnership with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected].