U.S. Presidential Facts Activity

Directions: Use the links provided to find the answers to the questions. Write your answers in whole sentences.

1. The Presidential Oath binds the president-elect to protect something.

What must the President protect?

 

2. William Howard Taft said the position he held after the Presidency was his greatest honor.
What was that position?

 

3. The President's salary is set by Congress. Use the info in the linked chart to answer the following inquiries.

a. In what year(s) did the Vice President get a raise, but the President did not?

 

b. What was the longest period of time without a Presidential pay raise?

 

c. How much more is the current President being paid than George Washington earned?

 

d. The President's salary excludes Perquisites. What are Perquisites?

 

TAI (think about it) - Name two "perks" the President receives.

4. What is the purpose of a Presidential Library? (research required)

 

Who established the first one?

 

5. The President is part of the Executive branch. Who are the President's advisors?

 

Name one of the current Presidential advisors and the office they hold.

6. Article II of the US Constitution sets out the qualifications and powers of the executive.
There are 3 qualifications to be elected President of the United States of America.

a. Write them.

 

 

b. Examine the prior occupations of the Presidents of the 20th Century. (POTUS.com is a helpful resource)

What is the most frequently held occupation?

Use this table to help you organize and track the information so you can answer the question.

President Occupation President Occupation
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

7. Suppose you have Presidential powers in your classroom. Your teacher makes a rule (law) that you do not like.
You could elect to veto it. What is a veto?

 

What two "Presidential" ways can you veto the law?

 

 

8. Which President did not live in the White House?

 

9. You should know that the Vice President becomes the President if the President dies in office or resigns.
But what happens if the Vice President cannot complete their term in office?

 

 

10. Presidents give lots of speeches. Abraham Lincoln wrote and edited his famous Gettysburg Address.
Who writes the current U.S. President's speeches? (Research the answer.)

 

11. Did you know that two people served as President and Vice President, who were NOT elected to the office?
I am not referring to the argument regarding David Atchison.

Who became President, without being elected to the post and without being first elected to the Vice Presidency?
Explain what happened that lead to the person becoming the President.

 

 

12. It has been over a century since the first woman ran for the Presidency of the USA.

a. Who was she?

How many decades ago did she run?

 

Why was she chosen to run?

b. Name a women, who ran for the U.S. Presidency, during the 20th Century.

 

13. How many US Presidents have been killed while in office? Name them.

 

What percentage of Presidents have died in office?

 

14. If you are a citizen when you turn 18 years old, you will be permitted to vote in elections in the United States.
But you will not actually elect the president. Who does elect the President ?

 

15. In 1782, a committee completed a Presidential Seal. President Truman made some changes to the seal.


Do you agree with or take exception to his rationales for the changes?

seal of President

16. Danielle is hoping to be in charge of the next event at her US History Club.
Rather than having an election or asking for volunteers, the club's advisor, Ms Moore announces
who will be in charge of each activity for the next three months.
Which power of the US President is similar to what the advisor has done?

 

Presidential Powers

 

To exactly mirror the way these selections are handled in the US government, what else must occur within the club?

 

 

* Math Challenge: Do the Presidential Math project

* Which U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

HOTS:

* Examine your state's record on Presidential elections over the past 5 decades. (US Presidential Election Maps)

Describe what you find.
Based on your observations predict the outcome, in your state, of the next Presidential election.

 

* Evaluate two Presidents. Based on their policies and actions, did they support limited government or unlimited government?
Advice - Use a Graphic Organizer to help you complete this assignment. Graphic Organizers

 

* Fact Check - State of the Union or State of the State - Resource State of the Union

 

"Peace signifies more than the stilling of guns, easing the sorrow of war. More than escape from death, it is a way of life.
More than a haven for the weary, it is a hope for the brave." Dwight Eisenhower

Done Already?

The President, The People, And The Power To Make War Theodore Roosevelt
Library of Congress exhibits on Presidential inaugurations. The Presidents - American Experience videos
John Adams and Abigail Adams History Facts or fictions project debunk a presidential fiction
Mount Vernon the home of George Washington Library of Congress - Presidents
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial event pbl White House - Presidents
Take the tour of President Eisenhower's home. Why do they say a lot of famous people people have walked across his desk?

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