Primary season has begun, political campaigns are in full gear, and the U.S. presidential election is only nine months away. Turn to American History Online for rich historical content ideal for election-related studies and lesson plans. Research past elections, political parties, key figures, and important terms through essays, primary source documents, images and videos, and tables, charts, and maps, and put the 2016 election in helpful perspective.

Here are just a few of the fascinating and helpful election-related items you can find on American History Online:

• Elections and Political Parties (slideshow overview)
  Captivating, SMART Board-friendly images and photographs, with informative captions, illustrate key moments in the history of elections and political parties.
• Presidential Campaigns (video)
  Learn about the origin of presidential campaigns, and follow the links on the right-hand side to videos covering the origin of political parties, elections and voting, the electoral college, and other key election-related topics.
• Presidential Inaugural Addresses (primary sources)
  Read the inaugural addresses of every U.S. president, from George Washington (1789) all the way to Barack Obama (2013), each set in context by a brief introduction. Notice differences and similarities between the inaugural addresses of different presidents and from different time periods.
• Biographies of U.S. Presidents (biography entries)
  Discover the lives and political careers of U.S. presidents, vice presidents, first ladies, Founding Fathers, and other key figures, including Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and many more.

American History Online‘s extensive range of content provides an essential resource for background and context to the 2016 election as well as for further exploration of timely topics.