PRESIDENTIAL DECISIONS

Aim: How are presidential decisions made and what are the far reaching effects of those decisions in a national and global forum?

Development:  This is a unit of at least 8 lessons that will be dealing with the monumental decisions of 4 Presidents. Chronologically they are:

1-       Abraham Lincoln

2-       Woodrow Wilson

3-       Franklin D. Roosevelt

4-       Lyndon B. Johnson

We will examine each of these Presidents and analyze their decisions within context of a specific major crisis. Although each of the Presidents confronted a multiplicity of crises, this unit will focus upon specific crises within each of their terms of office.

Lincoln’s crisis was the impending split of the Union, and the coming of the Civil War. Wilson’s crisis grew out of the context of a World War. Roosevelt’s too but on a more frightening scope. Lyndon Johnson was tested both globally (Vietnam) and domestically with the Great Society and Civil Rights issues in an attempted duplication of his great hero and mentor Franklin D. Roosevelt; who lifted us out of the Great Depression and defeated the greatest threat ever to world dominance (Hitler).

What were the motivations and factors that influenced each President in the arrival of  the resolution to each problem ? We will look into several factors. Politics, national and global conditions and situations at the time, the particular character of each President, their childhood experiences and influences (F.D.R. was a mentor to L.B.J.) and most importantly, the will and opinion of the American people at the appropriate moment. Let’s go into particulars:

Activities:  Each student will be asked to select one of the four featured Presidents. They are then to go to the computer lab and access the Internet for research purposes, finding the salient information which will allow them to draw their conclusions and make their hypothesis. There are a number of websites that the students can use to facilitate their needs such as:

• The official site of the White House 
  http://www.whitehouse.gov 

• PBS, resources from the series "The American President," including historical documents, video clips, web links, online discussion forum, and more 
  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/amerpres

• The History Place, great resource with text, timelines, photos, biographical information, personal histories
   http://www.historyplace.com

Students are to then do research on their President (research questions provided in each section) and formulate a thesis statement pertaining to their specific President in how they handled the crisis. For example:

• Should Lincoln have attacked the South first or was his strategy to manipulate events to allow the South to start the Civil War?

• Did President Wilson delay America’s entry into World War I until he was reelected in 1916?

• Did F. D. R. misuse his knowledge about a forthcoming Japanese attack in the Pacific?

• Did Lyndon Johnson use the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to justify America’s entry into Vietnam?

Students may use these questions or formulate their own which would motivate them in trying to find a resolution or solution to the presidential problem. Students would then gather their research culled from the Internet and prepare a report to substantiate their assertions.  Students will cite their research according to the Classroom Connect guidelines at: http://connectedteacher.classroom.com/newsletter/citeintres.asp 

Students will also read and review with the teacher "How to do a better History paper: 5 tips for young writers" at: http://www.historyplace.com/homework/index.html 

Prerequisite Knowledge: Students need a rudimentary knowledge of American History, and must be able to use critical thinking skills and to resolve questions, draw conclusions and have a general feel for that moment in history. Students should look for reasons beyond the obvious to determine just why a President made such a decision. What were those presidents reasoning? Students should understand the American political system and how favors are traded at the highest levels of government.

Key Generalizations:

A- President’s Cabinet         

B- Checks and balances

C- Political elections and campaigns

D- Public opinion and public relations

E- Media relations

F- Speechmaking

G- Constitutional issues and questions

Identification of goals: Students should be motivated by the desire to find out what influenced Presidents to make crucial decisions. The students should also be interested in the childhood of these men to find out to what extent their early lives affected their decision-making abilities. The students will appreciate how the Internet offers a wonderful opportunity to help answer their research questions.