WHITE HOUSE HAVOC
Exploring How American Presidents Have Dealt with Crises

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  American History, Civics, Current Events, Language Arts

Related New York Times Article
"Crises, Crises Everywhere. What Is a President to Do?, By TODD S. PURDUM", February 10, 2003

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students will research past United States presidents’ methods of confronting crises. They then write a State of the Union Address for that president in historical context.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   1 hour

OBJECTIVES:

1. Reflect on current issues or crises being addressed by the Bush Administration; rank these issues in order of priority.
2. Compare the crises the Bush Administration faces today with those of past presidents by reading and discussing “Crises, Crises Everywhere. What is a President to Do?”
3. Research a past United States president and evaluate some of the crises he faced while in office.
4. Write a “State of the Union Address” in the voice and historical context of this past President and the issues he faced.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

• pens/pencils
• paper
• classroom board
• copies of “Crises, Crises Everywhere. What is a President to Do?” (one per student)
• research resources on United States Presidents and their administrations (including American history textbooks, alternative history texts such as Howard Zinn’s “Twentieth Century America: A People’s History,” encyclopedic resources, periodicals, and computers with Internet access)
• 6 poster boards or large sheets of paper labeled: “Iraq,” “North Korea,” “Terrorism,” “Tax cuts,” “Stock Market,” “Space Shuttle Columbia”

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Before class, tape labeled poster boards on a classroom wall, then list each topic on classroom board. When class begins, engage students in a brief discussion on some of the issues the Bush Administration is currently addressing, using the ones listed on the board and wall as guidelines. Have students brainstorm some of the subtopics or related issues surrounding these issues. For example, the subtopic “anti-war protests” might be listed next to “Iraq,” “unemployment” next to “Tax Cuts” or “Stock Market.” After several minutes of analysis and discussion, ask students to walk to the wall and rank (by writing the numbers 1 through 6 on the poster board) the topics in the order they believe the Administration should address them. Afterward, compare rankings. Ask students why they think their priorities/responses might be similar or different.
2. As a class, read and discuss “Crises, Crises Everywhere. What is a President to Do?” using the following questions:
   1. According to the article, how did President Bush have “a full week”?
   2. What are some examples of other crises past presidents have faced?
   3. According to historian Robert Dallek, how does war affect domestic politics and reform?
   4. What is meant by “24-hour news cycle”?
   5. What are some examples of events that the media or politicians have a tendency to inflate, according to the article?
   6. What does historian Richard Norton Smith refer to as the “Oscarization” of history?
   7. Why do multiple crises pose a problem in Washington D.C., according to the article?
   8. Why might there be concern about “Bush’s capacity,” according to the article?
   9. How have other presidents coped with or been affected by crises while in office?
   10. What are some of the “costs and casualties” of multiple events and crises?
   11. Under what circumstances did President Truman write a hostile letter to Washington Post music critic Paul Hume?
3. Divide students into partners or groups (depending on class size), and assign each one of the following U.S. presidents mentioned in the article (Franklin S. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton) or others. Using all available classroom resources, have students research these leaders, some of the crises they faced, and their responses to these crises (the references mentioned in the article are a good starting point for research).
4. WRAP-UP/ HOMEWORK: After research is complete, and students have shared and discussed their findings with the partners or group members, each student write his or her own “State of the Union Address” in the voice and context of the president researched as homework. Encourage students to be creative in their speeches, but remind them that historical accuracy is key for this assignment. Students may consult the text of a recent State of the Union Address for style and format (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What do you think about the concern on the part of opinion leaders about President Bush’s capacity? Are they justified in their concern? Why or why not?
• Can you think of some examples of the ways in which “history has gone the way of politics in becoming theater,” as Richard Norton Smith commented?
• Do you think all of the events reported in the news are as critical as they appear, or are they part of the “media echo chamber” Richard Norton Smith describes? Why or why not?
• How do you think the crises of the current Bush Administration will affect domestic and global affairs? Which issues do you think will have the longest impact, and why?

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated for their participation in the Warm-Up exercise, contributions to class discussion, group research about a United States president, and thoughtful and historically accurate “State of the Union Address” papers.

VOCABULARY:
multitask, wrenching, trillion, defiance, ominous, rumblings, confluence, paralysis, desegregation, impeached, populism, perpetual, inflate, sniper, quantify, echo chamber, exigencies, intoned, mourning, disarm, volatile, hysteria, assassination, recession, consumed, stratospheric, malaise

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

1. What are the criteria under which a president might be impeached? Review the facts in your government textbook, and then create an informative poster for your classroom.
2. The article mentions Margaret Truman, daughter of President Harry S. Truman. Research the biographical information of some other children of recent presidents to create a “Where Are They Now?” documentary.
3. Research the history of rhetoric. How has art of public speaking evolved over the centuries? What makes an effective speech? How has the influx of professional “speech writers” in recent history affected politicians’ public personae? Write a short paper addressing these questions.
4. What are some other current “crises,” domestic or global, not mentioned in this article? Consult multiple media sources, including foreign newspapers and online journals, and make a list of the top 10 problems facing the world today.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Economics- Review President Bush’s $2.23 trillion budget proposal. What are the top six items on the budget? How does this budget compare with other recent presidents’ budgets? What might Bush’s proposal say about his administration’s priorities?

Math- Is there a correlation between presidential crisis and public approval? Chart President Bush’s approval ratings every six months since his presidency began in 2000. How do these ratings correlate to the crises he has faced?

Media Studies- Research and analyze the ABC network’s plan to broadcast a “reality” war show, “Profiles from the Frontline.” What do you think of the notion of combining news with entertainment?

Copyright 2003
The New York Times Company