Primary Source Picks

Primary Source Spotlight: National Party Conventions

August 18, 2024August 19, 2024

Democratic National Conventions

Democratic National Convention proceedings 1832-1952 available online

Democratic National Convention texts

James K. Polk to the Committee of the Democratic National Convention accepting the Democratic presidential nomination 12 June 1844

Gideon Welles Papers 1822-1878

Cincinnati Democratic Convention broadside September 1864

Letter of Geo. B. McClellan in acceptance of the nomination Chicago Convention 1864

Select 1884 Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

“The First Vote Taken”The Sun (New York, NY), July 9, 1884
“Who Shall It Be?”Wichita Daily Eagle (Wichita, KS), July 10, 1884
“Cleveland Wins It”The National Republican (Washington, DC)

Select 1892 Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

“Grover’s Name Towers Over All”Pittsburg Dispatch (Pittsburg, PA), June 22, 1892
“Cleveland and Stevenson”The Evening World (New York, NY), June 23, 1892
“Grover’s Mate is Stevenson”Pittsburg Dispatch (Pittsburg, PA), June 24, 1892

Select 1896 Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

“Sweeps Convention Away”Omaha Daily Bee (Omaha, NE), July 10, 1896
“William Jennings Bryan Their Man”The Saint Paul Globe (Saint Paul, MN), July 11, 1896
“Bryan’s Characteristics”New-York Tribune (New York, NY), July 11, 1896, Page 8
“Bryan Has But One Desire”The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), July 14, 1896

Select 1900 Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

“William J. Bryan and Adlai E. Stevenson”Akron Daily Democrat (Akron, OH), July 6, 1900
“Head of Ticket Quickly Selected”The Saint Paul Globe (St. Paul, MN), July 6, 1900
“Democrats Nominate Adlai Stevenson as Bryan’s Running Mate”The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), July 7, 1900

Select 1904 Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

“Democrats Meet in National Convention Parker and Turner, the Probable Ticket”The Minneapolis Journal (Minneapolis, MN), July 6, 1904
“National Democratic Convention Meets in St. Louis”Deseret Evening News (Salt Lake City, UT), July 6, 1904
“Parker Nominated on the First Ballot; His Running Mate Will Be Chosen Today”The Minneapolis Journal (Minneapolis, MN), July 9, 1904
“Judge Parker Wins Nomination – Harmon Tipped for Second Place”The Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA), July 9, 1904
“Democrats Choose Parker for Presidential Candidate”Deseret Evening News (Salt Lake City, UT), July 9, 1904

Select 1908 Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

“Opening of Democratic Convention”Daily Capital Journal (Salem, OR), July 7, 1908
“Democrats in Convention”New York Tribune (New York, NY), July 8, 1908
“The Democratic Convention”The National Tribune (Washington, DC), July 9, 1908
“William J. Bryan Nominated for the Presidency on the First Ballot by the Denver Convention”The Marion Daily Mirror (Marion, OH), July 10, 1908
“Bryan Was Nominated Today by National Democratic Convention at Denver”The Paducah Evening Sun (Paducah, KY), July 10, 1908

Select 1912 Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

“Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey is Nominated on the 46th Ballot”The Evening Standard (Ogden City, UT), July 2, 1912
“Woodrow Wilson is the Choice of the Democrats”El Paso Herald (El Paso, TX), July 2, 1912

More Democratic National Convention newspaper articles

Harry S. Truman Address in Philadelphia upon accepting the nomination of the Democratic National Convention July 15, 1948 audio | transcript

Democratic National Convention images

Oral histories of civil rights activists and Democratic National Conventions

Democratic Party of U.S. v. Wisconsin, 450 U.S. 107 1981 Supreme Court decision

Web archives

America 2000 – Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 conventions

Republican National Conventions

Republican National Convention proceedings 1856-1928 available online

Republican National Convention texts

Lincoln’s name proposed at Republican National Convention May 1860

Republican National Convention Declaration of Principles May 18, 1860

Select 1888 Republican National Convention newspaper articles

“Again at the Front”The Washington Critic (Washington, DC), June 6, 1888
“The Second Day”The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), June 7, 1888
“Renominated!”The Evening Bulletin (Maysville, KY), June 7, 1888
“They Waved the Red”Omaha Daily Bee (Omaha, NB), June 8, 1888
“Harrison and Morton”New-York Tribune (New York, NY), June 26, 1888
“At Last”The Daily Times (Richmond, VA), June 26, 1888
“Levi P. Morton”The Evening Bulletin (Maysville, KY), June 27, 1888
“General Harrison”The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), July 5, 1888

Select 1892 Republican National Convention newspaper articles

“Called to Order”The Appeal (Saint Paul, MN), June 11, 1892
“It is Harrison!”The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo (Sedalia, MO), June 14, 1892

Select 1896 Republican National Convention newspaper articles

“McKinley First Night” The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, CA), June 21, 1896
“Wm. McKinley Their Standard Bearer” The Hawaiian Gazette. (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]), June 30, 1896

Select 1900 Republican National Convention newspaper articles

“McKinley and Roosevelt”The Evening Times (Washington, DC), June 21, 1900
“Roosevelt to be Nominated for the Vice Presidency”The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, CA), June 21, 1900
“McKinley and Roosevelt”The Scranton Tribune (Scranton, PA), June 22, 1900

Select 1904 Republican National Convention newspaper articles

“Republican Convention Gets Down to Business”The Seattle Star (Seattle, WA), June 21, 1904
“National Republican Convention”Daily Capital Journal (Salem, OR), June 21, 1904
“Roosevelt and Fairbanks Honored by their Party”The Paducah Sun (Paducah, KY), June 23, 1904
“Roosevelt and Fairbanks”Daily Capital Journal (Salem, OR), June 23, 1904
“Roosevelt Will Lead Party to Victory; His Running Mate the Popular Fairbanks”The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, CA), June 24, 1904
“Roosevelt-Fairbanks”New York Tribune (New York, NY), June 24, 1904

Select 1908 Republican National Convention newspaper articles

“Call to Order of Republicans in Convention”The Pensacola Journal (Pensacola, FL), June 16, 1908
“Wild Outburst for Roosevelt!”The Seattle Star (Seattle, WA), June 17, 1908
“Roosevelt Day at Chicago”New York Tribune (New York, NY), June 18, 1908
“Taft Nominated for President First Ballot”Los Angeles Herald (Los Angeles, CA), June 19, 1908
“Taft and Sherman Republican Ticket”Hopkinsville Kentuckian (Hopkinsville, KY), June 20, 1908

Select 1912 Republican National Convention newspaper articles

“Roosevelt is Planning for a Third Party TicketEl Paso Herald (El Paso, TX), June 20, 1912
“Roosevelt Bolts and Will Form New National Party”The Washington Times (Washington, DC), June 20, 1912
“Taft and Sherman Renominated on First Ballot; Roosevelt’s Followers Sulk and Form New Party”The Washington Herald (Washington, DC), June 23, 1912
“Name Roosevelt for President”The Evening Standard (Ogden City, UT), August 7, 1912
“Progressives Line Up for New Party”The Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA), August 16, 1912

More Republican National Convention newspaper articles

Republican National Convention images

Republican National Convention Web archives

Republican National Convention 2000
Republican National Convention 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 conventions

Both parties

Platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties 1864

Chicago’s Conventions primary source set

Know Your Candidate: Analyzing Sheet Music to Explore Presidential Nominee Identity Teaching with the Library 2016

The American Presidency Project: Party Platforms and Nominating Conventions

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