Campaign Finance in U.S. History, Part 2
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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The History of Race in the US
In 1944, a legal battle led to the Supreme Court reversing its earlier position that Congress couldn't make laws about how primaries were run. The case was Smith versus Al Wright and the issue at hand was racial discrimination. According to newspaper reports, Texas had an estimated 571,000 black residents of voting age in the early 1940s. They were being shut out of all the primaries along with anyone else who was not white.
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The second part of our campaign finance history starts with both a scandal and reform linked to Theodore Roosevelt, and carries through to more recent Supreme Court rulings.
Research:
- Bedard, Paul. “George Washington Plied Voters with Booze.” USNews and World Report. Nov. 8, 2011. https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/11/08/george-washington-plied-voters-with-booze
- Blakemore, Erin. “Elections in Colonial America Were Huge, Booze-Fueled Parties.” History.com. Nov. 25, 2019. https://www.history.com/news/colonial-america-election-day-parties
- R. Brunson, “Swartwout, Samuel,” Texas State Historical Association. Handbook of Texas Online. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/swartwout-samuel.
- “Buckley v. Valeo.” Federal Election Commission. https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/buckley-v-valeo
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- “Did You Know... Samuel Swartwout Skimmed Staggering Sums?” U.S. Customs and Border Protection. https://www.cbp.gov/about/history/did-you-know/samuel-swartwout
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- “Appendix 4 -- The Federal Election Campaign Laws:A Short History.” FEC. https://transition.fec.gov/info/appfour.htm#anchor616480
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- Fair Political Practices Commission. “Use of Campaign Funds.” Campaign Manual. June 2020. https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/TAD/Campaign%20Manuals/Manual_4/Manual_4_Ch_7_Use_of_Campaign_Funds.pdf
- Fuller, Jame. “From George Washington to Shaun McCutcheon: A brief-ish history of campaign finance reform.” The Washington Post. April 3, 2014. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/04/03/a-history-of-campaign-finance-reform-from-george-washington-to-shaun-mccutcheon/
- Supreme Court of the United States. “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.” October 2009. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4163268-Citizens-United-v-FEC-Decision.html
- “Washington City, May 19, 1840.” The Baltimore Sun. May 21, 1840. https://www.newspapers.com/image/364961740/?terms=%22bill%20to%20secure%20the%20freedom%20of%20elections%22&match=1
- Grizzard, Frank E. “George Washington: A Biographical Companion.” ABC-CLIO 2022.
- Hinnershitz, Stephanie, PhD. “The Smith–Connally Act and Labor Battles on the Home Front.” The National WWII Museum. June 22, 2023. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/smith-connally-act-and-labor-battles-home-front
- “House of Burgesses.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/house-of-burgesses/
- Lau, Tim. “Citizens United Explained.” Brennan Center for Justice. Dec. 12, 2019. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
- “McConnell v. FEC.” Federal Election Commission United States of America. https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/mcconnell-v-fec/
- “Mark Hanna and the 1896 Election.” United States Senate. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Hanna_1896Election.htm#:~:text=At%20age%2015%20he%20moved,coal%2C%20iron%2C%20and%20steel.
- “Money-in-politics Timeline.” Open Secrets. https://www.opensecrets.org/resources/learn/timeline
- “Mr. Crittenden’s Speech.” Hartfor Courant. Feb. 14, 1839. https://www.newspapers.com/image/369520711/?terms=%22crittenden%22&match=1
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- “Louisville.” The Courier-Journal. Feb. 4, 1837. https://www.newspapers.com/image/118738402/?terms=%22bill%20to%20secure%20the%20freedom%20of%20elections%22&match=1
- “Mr. Bell’s Bill … “ The Natchez Weekly Courier. June 10, 1840. https://www.newspapers.com/image/248855111/?terms=%22bill%20to%20secure%20the%20freedom%20of%20elections%22&match=1
- “Naval Appropriation Bill.” The Buffalo Commercial. April 14, 1866. https://www.newspapers.com/image/282153733/?terms=%22Naval%20Appropriations%20Bill%22%20&match=1
- "NEWBERRY, Truman Handy." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/N000062
- “Pendleton Act (1883).” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/pendleton-act#:~:text=The%20Pendleton%20Act%20provided%20that,were%20covered%20by%20the%20law.
- Perlstein, Rick. "Watergate scandal". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Jun. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/event/Watergate-Scandal
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. “Veto of the Smith-Connally Bill.” June 25, 1943. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/veto-the-smith-connally-bill
- Roosevelt, Theodore. “December 5, 1905: Fifth Annual Message.” UVA – Miller Center. https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-5-1905-fifth-annual-message
- Scott, Kyle, and Matthew A. Kern. “Buckley v. Valeo (1976).” The First Amendment Encyclopedia. 2009. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/126/buckley-v-valeo
- “The Election Case of Truman H. Newberry of Michigan (1922).” United States Senate. https://www.senate.gov/about/origins-foundations/electing-appointing-senators/contested-senate-elections/102Ford_Newberry.htm
- “Naval Appropriation Bill.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 14, 1866. https://www.newspapers.com/image/168100996/?terms=%22Naval%20Appropriations%20Bill%22%20&match=1
- Terry, Stephen C. “Major Election Reform Legislation Quietly Approved by Senate.” The Times Argus. March 24, 1976. https://www.newspapers.com/image/657291645/?terms=buckley%20valeo&match=1
- “Tursts for Roosevelt.” Freeport Bulletin. Oct. 20, 1904. https://www.newspapers.com/image/762693183/?terms=insurance%20roosevelt&match=1
- Thompson, Mary V. “Beer.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/beer/#note3
- United States. “Defalcations. Reports of majority and minority ... Report of the Committee of Investigation on the subject of the defalcations of Samuel Swartwout and others : ... also the report of the minority of the Committee.” Thomas Allen. 1839. Accessed online: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007704602
- United States Senate. “Presidential Election Campaign Fund of 1966.” https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/SPrt301.pdf
- Victor, Jennifer Nicoll, Phd. “History of Financing of Federal Campaigns in the US.” Wondrium Daily. July 25, 2021. https://www.wondriumdaily.com/history-of-financing-of-federal-campaigns-in-the-us/
- Woodward, Bob and Brian Duffy. “Chinese Embassy Role in Contributions Probed.” Washington Post. Feb. 13, 1997. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/china1.htm
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