Teen 1952 and 2014, the American people fought wars in Korea and
Vietnam, witnessed a revolution in terms of civil rights, endured the Watergate
scandal, etc. During that period, American presidential campaigns changed as well
with the use of TV commercials. Online resources, such as the Museum of the
Moving Image (http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/), give us a unique opportunity
to view some of the most important campaign commercials of all time. By analyzing
some of the critical election campaign ads of the past, we can better appreciate how
some of our most famous (or infamous) leaders and issues were portrayed to the
people of the time.
Choose one of the elections between 1952-2012 and analyze the campaign
commercials of one presidential candidate. After examining one or two different
ads, write a short paper of about three pages summarizing your observations. The
paper should discuss what you found most interesting or surprising about the
campaign commercials. Special attention should be paid to the candidate’s
personality, key issues, attempts to appeal to the œaverage American, etc. Also,
based on the commercial ,and if you would have voted for that person .
