Election of 1928

Explore the significance of the 1928 presidential election and how it revealed deep cultural and political divides in America. Students will examine the beliefs and backgrounds of Herbert Hoover and Al Smith, focusing on key issues like Prohibition, religion, urban vs. rural values, and economic prosperity.

Using campaign posters, maps, and speech excerpts, students will analyze campaign messages and complete scaffolding questions. A final summary task challenges students to explain how the election reflected changing American values in the 1920s.

Included in this resource:

Do Now - Election of 1928 political cartoon primary source analysis and questions
Election of 1928 reading passage with scaffolding questions
Election of 1928 document pass/station activity with corresponding scaffolding questions
Document 1: Election of 1928 electoral college map
Document 2: Hoover campaign poster
Document 3: Smith campaign poster
Document 4: Hoover campaign speech excerpt
Document 5: Smith campaign speech excerpt
Document 6: Hoover POV
Document 7: Smith POV
Application/Closing/Higher-Order Thinking Assessment: Why did the Election of 1928 help change the way Americans thought about religion, culture, and politics?
Answer key for teachers (suggested)
★Please make an executive decision whether or not this lesson can be executed with your students based upon the preview file. Thank you!

©2025 A Social Studies Life

For personal use only. Duplication for an entire school, an entire school system, or for commercial purposes is strictly forbidden. Please have other teachers purchase their own copy. If you are a school or district interested in purchasing several licenses, please contact me for a district-wide quote.