Samples from Exploring History Through Primary Sources: American Presidents

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1 Samples from Exploring History Through Primary Sources: American Presidents Table of Contents Sample Lessons Sample Primary Sources #9189 Primary Sources American Presidents

2 Table of Contents How to Use This Product Introduction to Primary Sources Using Primary Sources Photographs Presidential Appointees Jackson s Kitchen Cabinet Memorials The Lincoln Memorial Vetoes The Veto President Secret Service Protection Assassination and Presidential Succession National Parks Mount Rushmore Peace Treaties World War I Peace Treaty The Budget Hard Times Wars Without Congress War on Terror Primary Sources White House Sketches Planning the Capital City Designing the Capitol Advertising for the Competition Louisiana Purchase Map Land Pacts What if the Deal Fell Through? Louisiana Purchase Map Impeachment Ticket Impeaching a President Impeaching Officials Impeachment Ticket Watergate Wanted Poster Scandal in the White House The Most Scandalous President Watergate Wanted Poster FDR s Day of Infamy Speech Commander in Chief Asking for War Text of FDR s Day of Infamy Speech.50 The Game of Bluff Foreign Policy Bluffing Foreign Policy Bluff Game Instructions Johnson s Headlines Civil Rights Headline News Newspaper Text Justice O Connor Cartoon Appointing Supreme Court Justices Interesting Justices Justice O Connor Cartoon Document Based Assessments Declaring War Buying Alaska Protecting the President Battling the Veto President Symbols of the Presidency Cabinets Resigning as President The White House Plans Exploring New Land Meeting in Congress Reporting Civil Rights Lincoln s Pockets Appendix About Your CD-ROM Suggested Young-Adult Literature Suggested Websites Document-Based Assessment Rubric Example Answer Key #9189 Exploring History American Presidents 2 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

3 Using Primary Sources War on Terror Wars Without Congress Standard/Objective Describe the purpose of government and how its powers are acquired, used, and justified. (NCSS) Students will learn about the war on terror, analyze what the Constitution says, and then vote on whether the president should have declared war. Materials Copies of both sides of the Wars Without Congress photograph card; Copies of the historical background information (page 30) Discussion Questions What you think the soldiers are doing in the picture on the left? What you think the soldiers are doing in the picture on the right? What makes you think that these soldiers are in a war? Where do you think these pictures were taken? Using the Primary Source Begin by showing the students both pictures on the Wars Without Congress photograph card. The left picture shows a machine firing in the distance in Afghanistan. The right picture shows soldiers close up in Iraq. Ask the discussion questions above. Then, read the historical background information (page 30) aloud to the class. Stop and allow students to ask questions. You might want to have students look at the Constitution to see these two statements: Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 The Congress shall have power To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water. Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States. Tell students that there have been many wars where the president did not ask for Congress approval. (President Harry Truman and the Korean War, President Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War, President George H.W. Bush and the Persian Gulf War are just a few of them.) Work as a class to outline the reasons for declaring war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then take a vote. Should the president declare war or should the decision be left to Congress? Have students work on various activities on the back of the photograph card in small groups. Extension Idea Have students take a poll to find out public opinion on the war on terror. They can poll friends, family, and people in their neighborhoods and then report back to the class. Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 29 #9189 Exploring History American Presidents

4 Using Primary Sources Wars Without Congress War on Terror (cont.) Historical Background Information On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered a terrible tragedy. Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. Shortly after these attacks, President George W. Bush declared war on terror. The first offensive took place in Afghanistan. Many of the terrorists had used that country as a training ground. President Bush wanted those terrorists caught. Unfortunately, the terrorist leader, Osama Bin Laden, was not captured. Then, in March 2002, President Bush ordered troops into Iraq. He wanted to stop Iraq s leader, Saddam Hussein. He believed that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. These types of weapons could harm many people. In time, Hussein was captured and questioned. President Bush took office in He had no idea what would happen just eight months after he took office. When the tragedy took place on September 11, the country was angry. Many people wanted to go to war and strike back. Bush and his administration believed they had to fight the terrorists. But Bush did not ask Congress to declare war. Instead, he declared war himself. Some Americans believe that this war was unconstitutional. The Constitution states that only Congress can declare war. The founding fathers believed it should be the representatives of the people who declare war. Congress represents the people of the United States. But the Constitution has not stopped presidents from going to war. In fact, presidents have gone to war many times without asking for Congress s approval. In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act. They were angry that Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon fought a war in Vietnam. This act states that the president has 90 days after sending troops to war to get Congress s approval. However, since then, presidents have ignored the War Powers Act. They say that Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives them the power to send soldiers into war as the commander in chief of the army and navy. As long as Congress does not oppose the president s actions, the United States Supreme Court will let the president put the country into a war. #9189 Exploring History American Presidents 30 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

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6 Wars Without Congress Historical Background Information On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked at the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. Terrorists who had trained in Afghanistan were responsible. President George W. Bush sent troops into Afghanistan. He wanted to capture the terrorists who planned this attack. In 2002, he sent troops into Iraq to capture the leader, Saddam Hussein. He believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The president, not Congress, declared both of these acts of war. This is not the first time a president has declared war. It happened in Korea with President Truman. President Johnson declared war on Vietnam. President George H.W. Bush declared war in the Persian Gulf. Analyzing the Picture What Do You See? Explain what these soldiers are doing. Do they look ready for battle? Why or why not? How are these two pictures alike? How are they different? Yesterday and Today Presidents have been declaring war for some time now. Do you think it is right for a president to declare war, rather than Congress? Why or why not? Writing Focus Fiction Pretend Presidents Truman, Johnson, and the Bushes got together to talk. What would they say to each other about the wars that they declared? Write a conversation among these presidents. Nonfiction Imagine you had the chance to interview a president who declared war. What questions would you ask him? Write at least five interview questions. Challenge What was the last war that Congress actually declared? Teacher Created Materials, Inc. #9189 Exploring History through Primary Sources American Presidents

7 Using Primary Sources Standard/Objective Planning the Capital City White House Sketches Compare similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies, and cultures meet human needs and concerns. (NCSS) Students will enter a competition to design a new capitol building and then review some actual sketches of people who competed to design the President s House. Materials Copy of the facsimile White House Sketches; Copies of the historical background information (page 32); Copies of the student activity sheet, Designing the Capitol (page 33); Copies of Advertising for the Competition (page 34) Discussion Questions Why do you think someone drew these pictures? Describe what you see in the pictures. Who do you think drew these pictures? Using the Primary Source Display the facsimile White House Sketches for students to see. Ask the discussion questions above. Tell students that George Washington is looking for someone to design the new capitol. This building needs to be spectacular. It should be the type of building that commands respect from everyone. Tell students that President Washington has decided to hold a competition. Show students the advertisement for the competition (page 34) and read it together. What features does the new capitol have to include? Everyone in the class will submit his or her own sketch for the capitol. The class will then judge these sketches and announce a winner. Distribute copies of Designing the Capitol (page 33). Give students about 15 minutes to complete their sketches. Then place the sketches in front of the class for a vote. Explain to students that the design of the real President s House (now known as the White House) was found through a competition like the one they just completed. Show the facsimiles White House Sketches again and allow students to look closely at them. Distribute copies of the historical background information (page 32). Read it aloud as a class. Challenge students to think about what it must have been like to compete for the design of the President s House. Extension Idea Have students create Venn diagrams comparing the sketches from the competition. Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 31 #9189 Exploring History American Presidents

8 Using Primary Sources White House Sketches Planning the Capital City (cont.) Historical Background Information George Washington was the perfect man to be the first president of the United States. He was tall, handsome, and athletic. Wherever Washington went, everyone else wanted to go. He was the commander of the Continental Army and a national hero. The United States needed a leader that other countries would respect. Great Britain, France, and Spain saw the United States as an experiment. No one believed that people could govern themselves. No country had ever tried this before. The United States also needed someone who could unite the states. Everyone believed Washington could do this. Washington faced the hardest task that any president ever faced. He had to make the individual states united. To make the country work together, he knew the country needed a strong national government. Many misinterpreted his actions. Some believed he was trying to be a king like in Great Britain. But, in his mind, nothing could be further from the truth. His popularity as a leader helped the United States survive. At first, Congress and the president did not have a capital city. They made New York their first capital. Later, the capital moved to Philadelphia. But Washington had always dreamed of a city on the Potomac River. Congress told him he could choose a site for the final location of the capital city. They also let him decide on how the house of the president should look. Washington knew that Americans did not want a castle. This type of building reminded them too much of the king in England. But he knew that the building had to look important. It had to command respect from its citizens and foreign leaders. America was young. Even though they had just won freedom, most did not believe the country would last. The president s house would not just be a place for the president to live. The house needed to be a symbol of the presidency. In 1792, a competition was announced. Several architects created drawings for the President s House competition. Washington reviewed these drawings on July 16, The next day he announced that James Hoban had won the competition. His design for the president s house would be built. The capital city that Washington dreamed of came true. It happened because Virginia and Maryland both agreed to give land. Washington chose a hill on one side of the city to be the location of the capitol building. This is where the Congress would meet. On another hill on the other side of the city would be the president s home. His careful planning created a capital that others respected. The capital city stood for the nation that trusted its people to elect its own rulers. #9189 Exploring History American Presidents 32 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

9 Using Primary Sources White House Sketches Name Designing the Capitol Background Information George Washington never lived in the White House or ruled from the current capital city. The capital city moved to Washington, D.C., when John Adams was president. Although most people nicknamed it the White House, it was first called the President s House. Then it was named the Executive Mansion. At the beginning of the 1900s, Theodore Roosevelt officially gave it the name of the White House. Activity Directions: President George Washington is looking for someone to design the new capitol building. This building needs to be spectacular. It should be the type of building that commands respect from everyone. President Washington has decided to hold a competition to see the best design. You are to submit a sketch for the capitol. Then, the class will judge these sketches and announce the winner. Use the space below for your sketch. Challenge George Washington had to fire the first builders of the the White House. Find out what happened. Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 33 #9189 Exploring History American Presidents

10 Using Primary Sources White House Sketches Advertising for the Competition Courtesy of The Library of Congress #9189 Exploring History American Presidents 34 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Name Reporting Civil Rights Document Based Assessments Directions: Black Americans planned a march in Selma, Alabama. They wanted to march to the capitol.

12 Name Reporting Civil Rights Document Based Assessments Directions: Black Americans planned a march in Selma, Alabama. They wanted to march to the capitol. They wanted people to know that their votes counted. The governor called in the police to stop the marchers. Answer the questions below about the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama. 1. What is the headline for the paper on this day? Courtesy of Flashback Productions and Jesse Lindsey 2. From looking at the paper, do you think the president agrees with the governor of Alabama? Why or why not? Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 73 #9189 Exploring History American Presidents

Reading Essentials and Study Guide

Reading Essentials and Study Guide Lesson 1 Sources of Presidential Power ESSENTIAL QUESTION What are the powers and roles of the president and how have they changed over time? Reading HELPDESK Academic Vocabulary contemporary happening,