PRESIDENTS AND POLICIES

INTRODUCTION

Each President of the United States of America has left their mark on the United States of America. Each presidency has influenced domestic and foreign affairs. We will explore the role of the presidency from 1945 to the present.

TASK:

You will work in teams to explore the legacy of one of the last twelve American Presidents. The overall theme will be to understand the shift of international relationships and power as well as the significant developments in U.S. culture during their presidency.You will compile your research and present your findings to your classmates so you can have a broader discussion on the context of the presidency and make generalizations about the effectiveness of the chosen president on global affairs.

THE PROJECT

Presidents

Your teacher will be placing you into political analysis groups consisting of no more than 3 students each. They will provide a collaboration rubric so you can reflect on your group participation throughout the project. Your group will be assigned one of the last 12 Presidents of the United States.

American Presidents 1945-Present

Each president is linked to some basic information. Please start there. Use the Presidents and Policy Notes to guide your research taking notes and citing sources.

PRESIDENT / POLITICAL PARTY / YEARS IN OFFICE
Harry S. Truman / Democratic / 1945-1953
Dwight David Eisenhower / Republican / 1953-1961
John Fitzgerald Kennedy / Democratic / 1961-1963
Lyndon Baines Johnson / Democratic / 1963-1969
Richard Milhous Nixon / Republican / 1969-1974
Gerald Rudolph Ford / Republican / 1974-1977
James Earl Carter, Jr. / Democratic / 1977-1981
Ronald Wilson Reagan / Republican / 1981-1989
George Herbert Walker Bush / Republican / 1989-1993
William Jefferson Clinton / Democratic / 1993-2001
George Walker Bush / Republican / 2001-2009
Barack Obama / Democratic / 2009

See below for additional links to valuable resources.

The following are additional resources that can help you with your research.

  • US Presidents App
  • Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States -
  • The American Presidency -
  • PBS American Experience – The Presidents -
  • National Archives -
  • WatchKnowLearn – videos on US presidents you might also explore the Modern Era Videos-

Understanding Foreign and Domestic Policy

Now that you have explored your president and have a greater context of foreign and domestic policies concerning your president, answer the following questions. When answering the following questions, provide specific examples from your president.

  • What is foreign/domestic policy and why is it important?
  • Why should we study U.S. foreign/domestic policy and its history?
  • What should be the driving motivation in the U.S.' relations with other nations and its citizens?

Political Cartoons

Political cartoons are cartoons that make a point about a specific political person, issue or event. They are typically printed in daily papers and news magazines. Research and utilize two political cartoons regarding your assigned president’s foreign policy and write an analysis and explanation of the two political cartoons.

The following are resources to help you get stared with Political Cartoons

  • Political Cartoon Database -
  • The New Yorker -
  • Communicating the Presidency -

Primary Source Documents

Primary Source Documents are the original documents. These could be speeches written that Presidents delivered or actual government documents that reflect policy. Your job is to find and locate two primary source documents that are related to domestic and/or foreign policy from when your president was in office. You are to analyze the documents and write an explanation of its purpose and intent.

Final Presentation

Each group will create a visual presentation to share their findings with the class. Your presentation should include all information correlated and researched about your president.

The following are ideas for a visual presentation:

  • Presentation Option 1: Create a Power Point, Prezi, Paper Slide, or other multi-media presentation highlighted the content you learned regarding foreign policy and your assigned president. All information should be included and sources cited. Sites to assist with Power Points, Paper Slides, and Prezi presentations:

Links to assist with Multi-Media Presentations:

Power Point:

Prezi:

Paper Slide:

  • Presentation Option 2: Create a mock History Channel/News Show type of presentation highlighting the content you learned regarding foreign policy and your assigned president. All information should be included and sources cited. Presentation can be performed live or you can use Microsoft Movie Momentsto capture your performance.

As groups present their information to the class you will take notes on their President and contributions using the Presidents and Policy Presentation Notes form.

Final Reflection

After listening to all the Presidential Presentations, use your notes to create an illustrated timeline of American Foreign Policy. Each President should have 2-3 markers on the timeline.

You can use any software or paper to create your timeline.

Here are a few resources to explore.

  • Microsoft Word -
  • Microsoft PowerPoint -
  • Timetoast -
  • Dipity -