John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Analyzing the Inaugural Address
Get high school historians to step outside their own shoes by responding to JFK's inaugural address from the perspective of a civil rights activist, a soviet diplomat, or a Cuban exile. After a class discussion about the address, the...
Ford's Theatre
A Comparison of Lincoln’s Inaugural Addresses
Speech, speech! Analyzing speeches is no easy task. High schoolers learn the important process of annotation as they work together to analyze Lincoln's inaugural address. Then groups of four work to annotate a second speech at a more...
DocsTeach
The Path of Justice: Selma and the Voting Rights Act
The civil rights movement: An ongoing battle for change. The activity focuses on President Johnson's speech in response to the massacre at the Selma March. Academics study the speech, complete a hands-on-activity, and discuss President...
National Endowment for the Humanities
“From Time to Time”: Presidents and Communicating with the Public
While the Constitution requires a "State of the Union" address, it doesn't give many details. In fact, it wasn't until Woodrow Wilson that the periodic update to Congress was given in-person. Using primary sources, recordings and...
K20 LEARN
The Emancipation Proclamation: Expanding The Goals Of The Civil War
Should Juneteenth be recognized as a national holiday? To prepare to take a stance on this question, young historians first analyze the Emancipation Proclamation and compare it to Lincoln's first Inaugural Address. Scholars then read an...
Curated OER
First Inauguration Speech of Abraham Lincoln
Students read an annotated excerpt of Lincoln's speech. In this government lesson, students discuss questions related to the speech to identify Lincoln's ideas to preserve the Union. Students may write optionally write their responses to...
National Constitution Center
Address America: Your Six-Word Stump Speech
Stump speeches are the focus of this exercise that combines politics and language arts. After learning about this type of speech, the class listens to Obama's 2008 presidential campaign stump speech and answers a series of questions that...
Albert Shanker Institute
Dream Under Development
As part of their study of the 1963 March on Washington, class members do a side-by-side comparison of the original text of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" with a transcript of the speech he delivered. The take away from the...
Curated OER
Immigration Debates in the Era of "Open Gates"
Young social historians examine immigration debates of the early 20th century through primary sources, such as political cartoons. They analyze the material, discuss their findings, and complete a critical thinking worksheet. All...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 2: The United States, France, and the Problem of Neutrality, 1796–1801
While the French Revolution could be considered inspired by the American Revolution, it created thorny problems for the new United States. Should the United States get involved and be drawn into a European drama? Was the US strong...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Sam Houston: A Study in Leadership
Learners read a short excerpt from a speech by Sam Houston and answer corresponding questions as well as engage in additional activities, including writing a persuasive essay and discussing topics in small groups. The resource helps lay...
Curated OER
Worksheet #47 Questions - United States Presidential Terms
In this United States Presidential terms worksheet, students expand their knowledge on presidential duties and terms with ten fill in the blank questions.
Curated OER
Persuasion and Political Debate by PBS
Students examine rhetorical strategies. In this political debate lesson, students research issues of presidential campaigns and deliver persuasive speeches about the issues they research. Students then participate in debates based on the...
Curated OER
Reviewing the Election Process by NOW Classroom for PBS
Students take a closer look at presidential elections. In this election process lesson plan, students discuss the roles of the primary, caucus, polls, Electoral College, delegates, and lobbyists in the process. Students then access the...
Curated OER
Enough About I — Let’s Talk About Me
Students review parts of speech and share informative usage presentations to their classmates. In this grammar lesson, students discuss the importance of using appropriate speech and then read "The I's Have It." Students create their own...
Curated OER
May the Best Character Win
Running an election campaign takes money. Class groups must effectively budget money in order to design and purchase sufficient advertising aimed at procuring classmates' votes. After completing an online tutorial, they also write and...
C-SPAN
The Impact of Citizens United v. FEC
What began as an effort to show a movie by an interest group has impacted financing of federal elections. Did the Citizens United case lead to more "dark money" in politics, or did it shine a light with more speech? Using video clips...
Curated OER
Understanding Presidential History
Learners research to find the qualifications necessary to be President of the U.S. In this presidential qualification lesson plan, students research their family roots to see if they could qualify to be President. Learners create a graph...
Curated OER
Presidential Campaigning
Eighth graders participate in a simulated presidential campaign by conducting research on the Internet. They define a party platform, run a campaign and write and deliver speeches in teams. Students can then act as the electoral college...
Curated OER
Pass This Jobs Bill
It seems that print media is slowly being replaced by electronic versions. Get your kids reading the New York Times e-style. They'll read the provided article entitled, "Pass This Jobs Bill" then answer six comprehension questions. Two...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Election Role-Playing Debate
After watching clips of presidential candidates during debates and speeches, and researching the candidate's position on important issues, young researchers conduct a role-play debate in which they act as one of the candidates.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You
Ask not what the activity here can do for you, but what you can do with the activity. The answer is quite a lot! Young scholars revisit JFK's famous inaugural address with a focus on his plea for civic engagement. There's a letter to JFK...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Elections, Money, and the First Amendment
Those who spend the most, win. Academics read informational text, participate in group discussion, and defend campaign reforms to understand the correlation between money, the First Amendment, and election results. The resource explains...
Jane Addams Project
Woman Suffrage
Suffragettes, suffragists, and anti-suffragists. A two-day, richly detailed lesson plan has young historians investigate the twentieth-century suffrage movement. Groups examine primary and secondary source materials about Jane Addams and...