A few months ago I was approached by the folks at The Well Trained Mind to review Electoral Apocalypses Episode 1 and Episode 2. The Well Trained Mind is a company which produce the very excellent Story of the World, a complete classical history curriculum. The Electoral Apocalypses supplement and complement their lessons on American history
*I received a free copy of both episodes in return for my honest opinion*
I have to admit, I almost turned them down, mainly because I live in the UK and the majority of the content of Electoral Apocalypses was necessarily American. But as large number of my readers are from the US and I thought you guys might benefit somewhat from this review, I decided to go ahead with the review. And I am so pleased I did.
What is Electoral Apocalypses?
Electoral Apocalypse is a three-part audio series (I was only given part 1 and 2), created by the well-known Jim Weiss. Each episode lasts a little less than an hour and is most suitable for students from age 12 onwards.
“My goal is not only to share some of the most surprising stories I know, but to give you a greater sense of confidence in republics and democracies, and particularly in the strength and flexibility built into the US system” Jim Weiss
Each episode focuses on one election from American history. The first is the election between Jefferson, Hamilton and Burr in 1800; the second is the 1860 election between Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge and Bell; and the final episode covers the election of 1968 between Nixon, Humphrey and Wallace against the back drop of a year which contained the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy.
What Did We Think of Electoral Apocalypse?
I enjoyed listening to the two recordings I was given. The audio was clear, Jim Weiss eminently easy to listen to and I learnt a lot about the history and motivations of each of the two elections covered. And if I were American I would have loved them. They educate and tell the story of the electoral past of the USA. I have to admit my main thought was why didn’t we have a similar version for the UK elections?
These audio recordings seek to instruct; to help the listener understand the sometimes shady dealings which make up the historical back ground of the latest election; and I believe they seek to reassure us that, whilst we might not like the outcome of a democratic election, the democratic process in and of itself is a strong and fair one.
If you would like to download your own copy of the Electoral Apocalypses pop over to the Well Trained Mind where it is on sale for $3.99 (about £3.23). They also have a sample of each episode to listen to.
Interesting 🙂
Especially given the current events in the US right now!
Thank you! This is a good resource for my kiddos and I. The electoral college is such an unfair system. I get it that it is used to basically keep things balanced. It seems it has been used the majority of the time to bend in the favor of the Republican Party who has the most candidates that have won in this manner. However, many Americans want this aspect of our elections to change. I’m doubtful that it will in my lifetime, but change starts with education.
Those are fascinating elections to listen to, I’m not surprsied they were chosen.