Elections that changed America

While Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States already has made history, his impact as chief executive and would-be leader of the free world has yet to be determined. Will his tenure produce important and enduring change, or will he be just an interesting footnote in the process?

It will be a while before we get those sorts of answers, but Time has weighed in on other elections that changed the country.

Here’s the list:

1792: Washington runs unopposed and is elected to a second term.

1800: Jefferson defeats Adams.

1828: Andrew Jackson over John Quincy Adams.

1860: Lincoln wins with just 40 percent of the vote.

1896: William McKinley defeats William Jennings Bryan in battle over economic philosophies.

1912: Woodrow Wilson wins three-way fight with William Howard Taft and Teddy Roosevelt.

1932: F.D.R. defeats Hoover and ushers in a New Deal.

1964: L.B.J. and The Great Society win over Barry Goldwater.

1980: Reagan’s rout of Carter moves country to the right.

2000: The Supreme Court declares George W. Bush the winner.

To read more about these historic campaigns, and to see a slideshow, visit Time.