American Experience on U.S. elections

this comes to me from the American Experience (PBS series) newsletter:

POLITICAL PARTIES: DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN, OR... FREE SOIL?

Today, there are two major political camps in the United
States -- Republicans and Democrats. In the 1800s, there
were more partisan politics to figure out. In the span of
just 28 years, from 1836 to 1864, prominent candidates
emerged from the Democratic Party, the Whig Party, the
Republican Party, the Free Soil Party, the Liberty Party,
the American Party, and the Constitutional Union Party,
among others. Keeping voter registrations current must have
been quite a task! Learn about the parties and their
candidates:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/politics/tl_tree.html

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THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES

We saw the power of third party candidates in the 2000
election, when Ralph Nader took 2.74% of the vote -- a
margin larger than that between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
But before Nader and Ross Perot became symbols of third
party influence, George Wallace made his mark. Failing three
times to garner the Democratic nomination, George Wallace
put his name on the presidential ballot in 1968 as an
American Independent -- and won over 50% of the vote in some
Southern states. See the results of Wallace's bids for the
presidency:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wallace/maps/index.html

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VOTE ON THE ISSUES

Can't wait 'til November 2nd to cast a vote? Take a trip
back in time to weigh in on the major issues of past
elections, and learn which candidates you would have
favored. You may be surprised by just how familiar these
issues sound!

Election of 1912
- Theodore Roosevelt vs. Woodrow Wilson
- Major issues: women's suffrage, trusts, import tariffs
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/26_t_roosevelt/t_roosevelt_vote.html

Election of 1936
- Franklin Roosevelt vs. Alfred Landon
- Major issues: the economy, Social Security, America's role in the world:
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/32_f_roosevelt/f_roosevelt_vote.html

Election of 1948
- Harry Truman vs. Thomas Dewey
- Major issues: housing costs, postwar reconstruction, financial aid to foreign governments:
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/33_truman/truman_vote.html

Election of 1960
- John Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon
- Major issues: U.S. leadership in the Cold War, the economy, defense spending:
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/35_kennedy/kennedy_vote.html