Lesson plan

Walter DeVries

Walter Dale de Vries (November 13, 1929 – November 27, 2019) was an American political consultant, author, and founder of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership. Writing in 1972, Andrew M. Greeley remarked that "Walter DeVries and Lance Tarrance Jr. have apparently pinpointed a change which exists in the real world apart from the 'Op-Ed' page of the New York Times. If party identification has not changed much, 'ticket-splitting' has. In 1944 there were 41 Congressional districts that voted for one party for the Presidency and another for the House of Representatives. In 1956 there were 130 such districts; in 1964, 145... From 1914 to 1962 there was only one year when there were more than six states which elected a Senator from one party and a Governor from another... Since 1962 the average number of 'incongruences' has been eleven per year..."

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Article summary

Walter Dale de Vries (November 13, 1929 – November 27, 2019) was an American political consultant, author, and founder of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership. Writing in 1972, Andrew M. Greeley remarked that "Walter DeVries and Lance Tarrance Jr. have apparently pinpointed a change which exists in the real world apart from the 'Op-Ed' page of the New York Times. If party identification has not changed much, 'ticket-splitting' has. In 1944 there were 41 Congressional districts that voted for one party for the Presidency and another for the House of Representatives. In 1956 there were 130 such districts; in 1964, 145... From 1914 to 1962 there was only one year when there were more than six states which elected a Senator from one party and a Governor from another... Since 1962 the average number of 'incongruences' has been eleven per year..."

Key claims

  1. date of birth: 1929 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of birth is "1929". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1372741056

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.