Presidential Elections

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This site documents the American presidential elections from 1860 to 1912. For each election, the site provides a detailed, 3,000-word overview that places the election within political and cultural context, and discusses the major issues relevant to the election. The producers have also included an essay on the practice of campaigning (4,500 words): how it has changed over the centuries, how those changes have resulted in an increased democratization of the political process, and how the press has shaped the process. In addition, the site exhibits about 90 political cartoons (from Harpweek, Vanity Fair, and Puck, among others) from elections, and provides biographies for each of the candidates. Also included for each election are "Events" sections that discuss major events before, during, and after each election period.

Teachers should be aware that some materials contain racial epithets. Notwithstanding the relatively few primary sources, this site is an excellent introduction to the 1860 to 1912 elections.

The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden

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An engaging exhibit geared especially to schoolchildren, this site provides images, texts, and activities to explore the history and operation of the American presidency. Organized into four sections, the exhibit displays more than 375 images of documents, paintings, photographs, buttons, posters, paraphernalia, and objects along with short texts (50–200 words in length) explaining their significance. The Foundations pertains to the prehistory of the presidency, how the Framers defined responsibilities of the office, and the basic work that the office requires. The Campaign Trail covers the election process. Life and Death in the White House looks at the domestic world of the president, life after leaving office, and assassinations. Communicating the Presidency deals with the press, the entertainment industry, and advertising.

Most impressive are the many suggested activities, lesson plans, and games designed for children of varying ages. A Teacher's Manual contains five lesson plans each for grades 4–6, 7–9, and 10–12. In addition, there are activities for younger children, including analyzing letters between children and five presidents and creating a new official seal. Provides a timeline, bibliography of 88 titles arranged according to age group and exhibit section, and annotated list of 46 links to other sites. Very useful for classroom history and civics courses.

Presidents of the United States - POTUS

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A reference resource for basic information about the U.S. Presidents. Each president's page includes election results; cabinet members; a list of notable events during term of office; and historical documents, such as inauguration speeches, proclamations, and significant public addresses.

The site provides links to sites about important events and biographies of family and cabinet members. Audio files are available for presidents from Grover Cleveland to George W. Bush. Links to two to 10 internet biographies and one to 13 related sites are provided.

American Presidents

Teaser

Analyze letters written by America's presidents to learn more about these men.

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Description

Critically analyze letters written by America's presidents to learn more about these men.

Article Body

With a nice set of analytic questions to use with each president’s letter, this lesson is sleek, yet its content coverage is broad. Questions ask students to think about a letter’s audience, purpose and tone and are phrased in student-friendly language. Using several letters across instructional units or in several class periods will provide students with multiple opportunities to develop their ability to critically examine letters as historical documents. The letters for each president vary in both content and difficulty level, some may be more appropriate for your class than others. Students may also need help with considering the President’s words in his own time and contextualizing the letter.

The lesson provides several writing assignments for a closing activity. Assignments 1 and 2 ask students to write about the letter’s purpose and content. These tasks only require students to summarize the information from the earlier part of the lesson so we recommend assignments 3, 4 and 5. Assignment 3 asks students to assess the historical value of the letter and assignment 5 asks students to respond to the letter from the point of view of the letter’s original recipient. Teachers may want to remind students to use quotes and information from the examined letter to support their claims in these writing assignments.

Topic
The American Presidents
Time Estimate
1 class session per letter; 41 letters available.
flexibility_scale
2
Rubric_Content_Accurate_Scholarship
Yes.
Lesson focuses on primary sources.
Rubric_Content_Historical_Background

Yes Limited background information about each president's public and private life is available on the the website.
Some of the writing assignments, #4 in particular, will require teachers to provide additional information.

Rubric_Content_Read_Write

Yes Students read a primary source and write in response to that source.

Rubric_Analytical_Construct_Interpretations

Yes Questions require students to use evidence to support claims.

Rubric_Analytical_Close_Reading_Sourcing

Yes Great set of questions guides students through this analysis.

Rubric_Scaffolding_Appropriate

Yes Several of the letters will be difficult to comprehend for some middle and high school students.

Rubric_Scaffolding_Supports_Historical_Thinking

Yes Questions in the lesson are designed to help students think about the perspective, intent, and audience of the letter.

Rubric_Structure_Assessment

No Students write answers to questions and use those answers to complete a final writing assignment. Options 3, 4, and 5 require that students use their analysis and evidence from the letter to make a case. Assessment criteria absent.

Rubric_Structure_Realistic

Yes Materials are web-based but can be printed for classroom use.

Rubric_Structure_Learning_Goals

No There are clear skill objectives. Teachers will need to establish objectives regarding specific content.

Public Papers of the Presidency

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Bringing together a wide range of material on the public communications of American presidents, as well as election data and statistical information on presidency, this website presents the public messages, statements, speeches, and news conference remarks of presidents from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush. Materials can be browsed or searched by month and year. Visitors can also view transcripts of all inaugural addresses and State of the Union messages, convention speeches of presidential candidates from 1960 to 2004, and all the presidential debates.

The site offers major party platforms from 1840 to 2004 and transcripts of various events from the 2001 presidential transition. Transcripts from the "Presidential Candidates Debates" from the 1960 through the 2004 election are presented. A media archive contains various audio and video clips from the late 19th century to the present. A map shows electoral votes and popular vote totals and percentages by state from 1828 to 2004.

The Presidents

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All 42 of the nation's completed presidencies are profiled in detail on this website geared towards teaching the history of the American Presidency. In-depth biographies include information on childhood, education, career, elections, family life, domestic policy, and foreign affairs. Many biographies include links to numerous primary sources—speeches, writings, letters, and diplomatic documents—and to lesson plans. As a companion website to the PBS American Experience documentaries, these resources are hooked into a larger "Archives" section available at the top of the screen. Here, users will find thousands of resources, including maps, movies, and QuickTime Virtual Reality, on many topics in American history divided by theme and chronology, such as technology, popular culture, war, and urban and rural environments.