Blue wall (United States)

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/blue-wall--u-s--politics-

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the term origin?Coined in 2009
2. What is the key states challenging the wall?Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which flipped Republican in 2016
3. What is the Blue Wall?The Blue Wall is a group of U.S. states that usually voted for the Democratic Party in presidential elections from 1992 to 2012. It was named because those states were seen as a safe base for Democrats.
4. Why were the Blue Wall states important for elections?Because they gave Democrats a predictable set of electoral votes, making it easier for campaigns to plan. If those states stayed Democratic, the winner of the election seemed more certain.

Electoral College: The body of electors established by the U.S. Constitution, which formally elects the President and Vice President.
Swing State: A U.S. state where the results of presidential elections are too close to call and can change from one election to the next.
Rust Belt: A region of the northeastern and midwestern United States characterized by declining industry, population loss, and aging factories.
Solid South: A historical period when Southern states reliably voted for the Democratic Party in U.S. presidential elections.