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Some general background on the presidential elections of the United States takes us back to the late 1700's. The first presidential election took place in 1796. It began as a productive event that helped the people of the United States elect the leaders for their country. Since then, there has been 45 presidents.

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Nowadays, it takes a lot more preparation and dedication to be a president. And even if you do make it to the point where you are Mr.(or Ms.) President, over the years the amount of power you single-handedly have has gradually decreased. The people of the United States have had to deal with terrible presidents in the past, so every rule or boundary a president must follow nowadays is based off of a bad experience for the Untied States. For example, a president cannot make a law on his own(without external approval) because what if they made a ridiculous law like "You can't drive without having green shoes on"? This is also the reason why we have state leaders which help the president make more territory-specific laws and rules.

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Over the last 3 centuries the effects of Presidential Elections have changed drastically. At the beginning, the outcome of presidential elections had bigger effects on peoples daily lives. Elected presidents opinions in the past have had much more weight because of the way our government used to be structured. The reason why George Washington is still seen as such a reputable person ties into all of this. George Washington was constantly setting precedents for the following presidents to be able to follow in his footsteps and lead the United States to a better government.

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A display of the first president of the United States(George Washington)'s presidential election.

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Recently the presidential elections have wreaked havoc on the people of the United States. The most prominent and a very recent example of something of the sort is January 6th, 2021. On that day, a heavily armed group of Americans stormed the US Capitol in retaliation to Donald Trumps recent loss in the presidential elections. This caused 5 deaths and complete chaos in our nations capitol. The place that was supposed to be a symbol of a nation that is one and united was turned into an image of hate and violence.

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An image from January 6th, 2021. Trump Supporters climbing onto and into the US Capitol to show their support for Trump.

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Gambling and gambling addictions have been at a constant increase for many years but a current major issue that gambling brought to political elections is gambling on the winner. Political gambling plays into how the act of voting on a leader for our country has changed from a unifying process into a battle in between our fellow citizens.

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Presidential Elections and the American Political System

January 6 Attack on the US Capitol

America will need a new vocabulary to discuss its presidential election.

Betting on Politics

Precedent for pipsqueaks.

Rural Voters and the Polarization of American Presidential Elections

Long-Term Trends and Short-Term Forecasts: The Transformation of US Presidential Elections in an Age of Polarization