Women and Politics
The League of Women Voters
The League grew out of the suffragist movement to become a non-partisan grassroots organization whose goal is to get citizens more involved in the democratic process.
The White House Project
The mission of the White House Project is to create a climate where women lead, in all sectors. By focusing on the US presidency, the WHP calls attention to the fact that women still do not play leadership roles in all fields in this country.
Vote, Run, Lead
This campaign, an initiative of The White House Project, aims to engage young women as voters, as activists and as candidates for political office. Check out these particularly compelling facts about women in elected office.
Center for American Women and Politics
Based at Rutgers University, CAWP is a research, education and public service center. Their website is a good resource for factsheets, (like this one on the gender gap and voting behavior), and published research findings.
How Political Conventions Work
A helpful backgrounder on the origin of political conventions, how they've changed over time and the purposes they serve, from HowStuffWorks.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica: Political Conventions
Another good source on the history and mechanics of conventions.
Republican & Democratic Convention History (1856-2004)
Poynter Online provides extensive links to resources about the history of national political conventions.
Related Books & Films
Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72
by Hunter S. Thompson
This unorthodox and subversive account of the 1972 campaign has become one of the classics of American political commentary. (1973)
The Boys on the Bus
by Timothy Crouse
Crouse traveled with the press pack from the primaries through the November election and emerged with this influential portrait of modern campaign journalism. (1973)
The Making of the President — 1972
by Theodore White
An informative account of the 1972 election with great stories about the ineptitude of the McGovern campaign. (1973)
The Good Fight
by Shirley Chisholm
This autobiography chronicles Chisholm's historical run for president. (1973)
Unbought and Unbossed
by Shirley Chisholm
This memoir tells the story of Chisholm's journey to Congress and how she saw her role as a black women in politics. (1970)
In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution
by Susan Brownmiller
A narrative look back on the feminist movement from the writer, and featured commentator from "CHISHOLM '72." (1999)
The Year the Dream Died: Revisiting 1968 in America
by Jules Witcover
A recreation of the tumultuous events of 1968 from the veteran correspondent, and featured commentator from "CHISHOLM '72." (1997)
On the Screen
All the President's Men
Another classic, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, the Washington Post investigative reporters who broke the Watergate story, setting the stage for Nixon's eventual resignation. (1976)
Fog of War
Errol Morris explores the Vietnam War through the story of Robert McNamara's life. (2003)
Also on PBS and NPR
POV: Brother Outsider
This 2002 POV film tells the story of the life of Bayard Rustin, another political pioneer whose name is little known today. During his 60-year career as an activist, Rustin formulated many of the strategies that propelled the civil rights movement. But his open sexuality forced him to remain in the background, making him the 'brother outsider.'
Tavis Smiley: Interview with Carol Moseley Braun
In this transcript of a January 2004 show, Tavis interviews the 2004 candidate about her personal experiences with Chisholm, the strategy behind her own campaign and the issues that motivate her.
The American Experience: George Wallace —
Settin' the Woods on Fire
Alabama governor and four-time presidential candidate Wallace was feared as a racist demagogue and admired as a politician who spoke his mind. This companion site to the film, produced by POV filmmaker Paul Stekler ("Last Man Standing"), offers interview transcripts, primary source documents, a further reading list as well as timelines and maps.
Independent Lens: The Weather Underground
Trace the emergence of the Weather Underground, a movement of former student radicals outraged by the Vietnam War and racism, from its roots in Students for a Democratic Society through the years spent in hiding from the FBI. Read an exclusive interview with two former Weathermen who answer the question, given the chance, would they do it again?
The American Experience: The Presidents
The series pulls together materials from all its 11 films on the lives and times of American presidents. Especially relevant are the overview, domestic and foreign affairs profiles, primary sources and legacy sections on Nixon's presidency.
Tavis Smiley: Interview with Shirley Chisholm
Tavis asks Mrs. Chisholm about what she has worked on since retiring from Congress, her thoughts on education today, her experience of sexism and more. Listen online to this 2003 interview.
Tavis Smiley: Interview with Shola Lynch
Vacation stand-in Tony Cox talks with Shola about the genesis of the film, the context of 1972, and the sacrifices Chisholm made. Listen online to this 2004 interview.
Weekend Edition: Interview with Shola Lynch
Scott Simon talks with Shola and Victor Robles, a Chisholm Congressional District Office Staffer in 1972, now Clerk for the City of New York. Listen online to this 2004 interview.
Political Junkie: The Worst Acceptance Speech?
This Q&A column written by NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin explores the legacy of McGovern's acceptance speech at the 1972 Democratic Convention.