The American History
Game Using Presidential Biographies by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
It
is sometimes easier to remember events in American history, if you learn them
through the lives of American presidents.
This
game will teach you to research items in history and analyze what you find as
answers.
Objective: Gain knowledge you need to be a president who enriches the American people of all ethnicities and defends the nation.
Nota bene: What is true of presidents is true of leaders in fashion, show business, and publishing almost always.
Objective: Gain knowledge you need to be a president who enriches the American people of all ethnicities and defends the nation.
Nota bene: What is true of presidents is true of leaders in fashion, show business, and publishing almost always.
Use
resources such as the following to do your research:
-The
Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events by Bernard
Grun
-Presidents
Fact Book: The Achievements, Campaigns, Events, Triumphs, and Legacies of Every
President from George Washington to the Current One by Roger Matuz and Bill
Harris (Editor)
-World
Book Encyclopedia – available at most public libraries
-Presidents
of the U.S. – whitehouse.org
-Presidential
Documents, the U.S. Presidents, and Presidential Libraries
archives.gov
-Presidential
Places in the National Parks
nps.gov
Level 1 – Basic Fact
Bank
-In
a notebook or journal, note the following:
-Write
down the full name of the president
-Write
down which number the president is
-Write
down the president’s birthplace
-Write
down the president’s birth year
-Write
down the president’s death year
-Write
down where the president is buried
-Write
down where the president has his library
Note: Presidential sites and libraries are
interesting to visit:
-
to
see what kind of communities a president grew up in
-
to
see what kind of education he was able to receive
-
to
see exhibits of the achievements of his term (s) in office.)
Level 2 – Read about
the President from a Variety of Sources
-Write
down 5 – 10 of his achievements
-Of
these achievements, are any still in place today?
Level 3 – Domestic and
International Threats to National Security
-From
your readings about the president, note any problems that the United States had
due to his presidency domestically or internationally
-Were
these problems caused by him or opposition to him by the opposing political
party?
Level 4 – The Health of
US Commerce under this President
-What
did this president do to promote commerce?
-List
5 – 10 achievements
-Are
these achievements still in place?
-Use
historical statistics to back up your claim
-Are
this president’s achievements in commerce still in place?
-Are
Americans today richer or poorer due to this president’s accomplishments?
-If
the president’s achievements did not endure, examine why.
Level 5 – Wars Fought
During the President’s Tenure
-Were
any wars fought during this president’s term in office?
-Did
the U.S. win or lose territory as a result of this war?
-How
much money did the U.S. spend on this war? Look at various budget pots
-Were
these wars officially declared by Congress?
-Were
treaties signed to end the War(s) or Conflicts?
-What
does the original treaty look like?
-What
members of government or their family members had shares in weapons
manufacturers? The proverb runs,
“Perpetual warfare is profitable.”
Do
some weapons firms sell to both sides in a conflict?
Level 6 – Life of the
Underrepresented Throughout American History
-What
was the life of women, children, and minorities like under the president?
-For
minorities, separate your analysis into treatment of men, women, and children
for each ethnic group present in the U.S. at the time.
-What
parts of the U.S. were the minorities located in? What countries and regions in these countries
did people come from?
Level 7 – Lessons Learned
-What
did you learn about being a president from your analysis of this president?
-The
Chinese say everyone is a teacher, even bad people for their bad example, so
give some evidence for your opinions and how they might make you a better
leader.
Level 8 – Presidential Contenders
Who
were the main presidential contenders to run against each president?
Make
the following data bank:
-the
number of each president such as #1 for George Washington
-the
president’s name
-the
years for the terms the president served
-the
president’s educational background – subjects studied, degrees obtained, and
names of educational institutions
For
each presidential contender, note:
-the
contenders’ names
-the
contenders’ party affiliation
-the
contenders’ educational background
Level 9 – Election Platforms
What
were the 5 most important points on each contenders’ platform?
How
did the contenders’ platforms differ from the president’s?
Level 10 – What is the
immigrant ancestry for each president and presidential contender?
Most
people have more than one immigrant ancestor.
Look
at women in the family for hidden ancestry.
Level 11 – Ancestry,
Economic Policy, and Trade Preferences
How
might the immigrant history of each president’s ancestors and contenders’
ancestors affect their economic and trade policies?
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
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