About This Lesson
In this lesson, students screen selected clips from Robert Drew’s documentary, Primary. This candid footage captures two presidential hopefuls during the 1960 Wisconsin presidential primary race—Hubert Humphrey and John F. Kennedy. Interviews with the filmmaker and with historian Richard Reeves are also included. This lesson, one of three on cinematic depictions of the American presidency, is from "Portraits of America: Democracy on Film," a comprehensive curriculum using classic movies to explore ideals and challenges of our society. Thanks to generous funding from AFSCME, all materials are free of charge and can be downloaded at https://www.storyofmovies.org/.