Negative campaigning, attack ads and cutthroat rhetoric have always been a part of the American political landscape, says Emory University political scientist Merle Black.

The renowned expert on national politics provides a history lesson on negative campaigning (and why the rhetoric this year is not that different from the early 19th century) and the role technology plays in today's political scene.

Black, Emory’s Asa G. Candler Professor of Politics and Government, is one of the nation's most incisive commentators. Among several books, he is coauthor of "Divided America: The Ferocious Power Struggle in American Politics." The groundbreaking work was the first to detail the country's distinct regional differences to assess the driving forces of partisanship in national politics.

See also: "Dirty nasty politics in the early republic" (Lecture, Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m.)