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Presidential Leadership and the Goal to Unify | America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump ActivityPresidential Leadership and the Goal to Unify | America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump Activity
Publisher
PBS
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
9th - 12th
Subjects
Social Studies & History
2 more...
Resource Type
Activities & Projects
Audiences
For Teacher Use
1 more...
Duration
1 hr
Instructional Strategies
Collaborative Learning
3 more...
Technology
Audio
Internet Access
Video
Accessibility
Closed Captions
1 more...
Year
2020
Usage Permissions
Fine Print: Educational Use
Activity

Presidential Leadership and the Goal to Unify | America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Presidential Leadership and the Goal to Unify | America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump activity also includes:
  • Compare and Contrast Activity
  • Video
  • Primary Source
  • Teacher Reference
  • Informational Text
  • Vocabulary
  • Join to access all included materials

Traditionally, a United States President's Inaugural Address establishes the tone and vision for his presidency. It has stressed the goal to unify the country and bring the political parties together after what are often divisive campaigns. A Frontline resource asks young political scientists to compare and contrast Donald Trump's inaugural address with Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address to determine how each man used the speech to establish the vision for his presidency.

5 Views 6 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable

Concepts

presidential inaugurations, barack obama, donald trump, leadership, compare and contrast, abraham lincoln, harry potter and the sorcerer's stone, tone, mood, persuasive speeches, tolerance, controversial topics, equity, human rights, bias, polarization, social justice

Additional Tags

social studies

Instructional Ideas

  • Read all the linked articles in the Support Materials for Teachers carefully before conducting the lesson
  • Expand the research, have class members examine the tone of Joe Biden's inauguration speech, and compare it to Trump's and Lincoln's

Classroom Considerations

  • Ensure a protocol is in place to permit pupils with differing points of view to share their thoughts safely and respectfully

Pros

  • The resource includes teaching tips with discussion questions and links to related resources that provide background information

Cons

  • None

Common Core

SL.9-10.3 SL.11-12.3

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Lesson Plan

A Comparison of Lincoln’s Inaugural Addresses

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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...
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Worksheet

Primary Source Worksheet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address

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Young historians will learn not to fear primary source materials (or fear itself, for that matter) thanks to this resource that uses Franklin D. Roosevelt's March 4, 1933 Inaugural Address to model how to conduct a close reading of such...
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Worksheet

Primary Source Worksheet: Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address

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Your young historians will be intrigued to read and analyze Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, which discusses the president's take on the causes of the Civil War and connections between the North and the South.
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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Video

President Nixon 1969 Inaugural Address

Curated Video
Richard Nixon, newly sworn in as the 37th president of the United States, reflects on the decades between his January 20, 1969 inaugural address and the beginning of the next millennium. Emphasizing the American dream, peace...
18 mins 6th - 12th Social Studies & History
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Instructional Video

President George H. W. Bush 1989 Inaugural Address

Curated Video
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Activity

Recipe for an Inaugural Address

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
An inaugural address represents the first moments of a new beginning. Using John F. Kennedy's speech as a model for guided practice, groups examine the ingredients of an inaugural address. Individuals then repeat the analysis...
7th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Primary

Sage American History: Abraham Lincoln First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861

Henry J. Sage
Text of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address, March 4, 1861
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Primary

American Presidency Project: Abraham Lincoln: Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861

American Presidency Project
The complete text of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address where he attempts to reach out the states that have seceded and assure them that his first priority is preservation of the Union.
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Primary

Sage American History: Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln, March 1865

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Text of President Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, delivered March, 4, 1865.
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Library of Congress
A description of the composition of Lincoln's first inaugural address and copies of the manuscript along with Lincoln's notes in the margins. What a resource!
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
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