Welcome to Mr. De Zwaan's American Studies Wiki

 

 

 Presidential Greatness

 

        The Great Wiki Assessment

 

Guiding Question:

What does it take to be ranked a "Great" President?

 

 ASSIGNMENT:

 

You will be assigned to a group of 2-3 students.  Each group will be in charge of both preparing and presenting an assessment of the "presidential greatness" of one "Modern" American president.

 

 

 

 

PRESIDENTS:

 

 

 

•    Theodore Roosevelt    (1901-09)

 

•    William Howard Taft    (1909-13)

 

•    Woodrow Wilson        (1913-21)

 

•    Warren G Harding       (1921-23)

 

•    Calvin Coolidge           (1923-29)

 

•    Herbert Hoover           (1929-33)

 

•    Franklin D Roosevelt  (1933-45)

 

•    Harry S Truman         (1945-53)

 

•    Dwight D Eisenhower (1953-61)

 

•   John F Kennedy         (1961-63)

 

•    Lyndon B Johnson     (1963-69)

 

•    Richard M Nixon        (1969-74)

 

 

 

•    Divide tasks evenly among group members

•    Your group’s Wiki should address the following aspects:

 

1. The political, social, and economic circumstances your president worked under, as well as challenges he faced, both

 

• at home and
• abroad

 

2. His most significant achievements and failures; assess how well/bad he "wore" his "Presidential Hats," namely

• Commander-in Chief
• Chief Executive
• Chief Diplomat
• Ceremonial Head of State
• Manager of the Economy
• Party Leader
• National Leader

Illustrate the presidential business of "wearing" each of the seven "hats" with ONE (1) significant event or act for assessment purposes

 

 

3. An overall assessment:

        What does it take to be ranked a "Great" President?

Take the assessment of your president's impact on the American Presidency by a (presidential) historian into account; incorporate a QUOTE by this historian regarding your president's legacy.

 

 

•          Due Date Phase 1:  __________

 

 

 

Phase 2: Present your Asessment

 

 

•    Presentation

• Should last no more than 12 minutes.

• Should involve all group members

• Should go over most important aspects
• Should engage the class

 

•    Presentation Date:  __________

 

 

    Biography Resource Center

        **see Blackboard to obtain password info for databases access from home**

 

 

Sources:

 

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/

 

 

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/amerpres/index.html

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/

 

 

http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/academic/americanpresident

 

 

http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/