The Historical Evolution of U.S. Federal Elections: What is the Trend? (Part 1)

By looking at three historically significant eras in American history, the speaker will contextualize the 2012 US election and relate to how these eras shaped the results. First, he will look at the long view emphasizing the colonial, revolutionary and early republican inheritances. He will then look at the medium historical view, from Reagan through Clinton. Finally, the speaker will examine the short view, from 2000 to now, during which time Americans seemingly have adopted a kind of post-democratic polity based on ignorance and belief. Speaker: Dr. James Tagg Dr. James Tagg joined the University of Lethbridge in 1969. He received his PhD in History from Wayne State University in Michigan in 1973. For almost 35 years, he taught the sweep of American History, initiated the first southern Alberta history course and helped establish a program in Liberal Education at the University of Lethbridge. Dr. Tagg's research interests have been related to the Early Republic of the United States (1789-1815), with an emphasis on early American politics and journalism. Currently, Dr. Tagg is working on a kind of "anti-biography" of Gouverneur Morris-- the man who wrote the U.S. constitution -- giving attention and importance to his grandiose psychological make-up and his sex life.