Presidential Postcards

Understanding the Presidents WebQuest

Introduction

The President of the United States is the Chief Executive of our nation. In this capacity, he has enormous power and responsibility. He directs the growth and direction of our nation, and he leads the effort to protect the nation if it is attacked. By understanding our nation's Presidents and their administrations, the decisions they made and the decisions they chose not to make, we can better understand our nation's history.

The Task

Create a Presidential Postcard for each assigned President.

On the front of the postcard, include:

An image of the President
The President’s name
His nickname
The years he served as President

On the back of the postcard, you will create a presidential resume to include:

His name
His political party
His election opponents (if two terms were served, include the opponents for both elections)
His Vice President(s) (if multiple, include the years each served)
Summarize in one or two sentences the main objective the President had for the country during his term(s)
List and briefly describe the (approx. 8-10) major events that occurred during his Presidency

Major events might include:

Addition of states, laws, acts, wars, treaties, compromises, agreements, scandals, important Supreme Court cases, competition of major infrastructure, inventions

Provide two references (these are to be political allies of the President)

Resources

Bailey is your first resource. However, as you complete your postcards, you may find the following resources to be useful:

Whitney, David C. The American Presidents. 8th ed. New York: Prentice Hall P, 1993.
Presidents of the United States - from the White House website
American President: An Online Reference Resource - from the University of Virginia
The Presidents - from PBS
The American Presidency - from the Encyclopedia Britannica
President Elect
1750-1939 Time line - from the Henry Ford Museum
Brief Time line of American Literature and Events: Pre-1620 to 1920
The Animated Atlas

The Process

Gather the necessary information using the above sources
Format the information in a resume format (see the George Washington example)
Create the front of the card with an appropriate image of the President as well as the appropriate information
Proof-read your text; correct any spelling or grammar errors
Print the 4x6 card (see Ms. Stedman if you need help with this) and submit by the due date:

President	Due Date	President	Due Date
John Adams		Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Jefferson		William McKinley
James Madison		Theodore Roosevelt
James Monroe		William Howard Taft
John Quincy Adams		Woodrow Wilson
Andrew Jackson		Warren Harding
Martin Van Buren		Calvin Coolidge
William Henry Harrison		Herbert Hoover
John Tyler		Franklin Roosevelt
James K. Polk		Harry Truman
Zachary Taylor		Dwight Eisenhower
Millard Fillmore		John F. Kennedy
Franklin Pierce		Lyndon Johnson
James Buchanan		Richard Nixon
Abraham Lincoln		Gerald Ford
Andrew Johnson		Jimmy Carter
Ulysses S. Grant		Ronald Regan
Rutherford B. Hayes		George Bush
James A.Garfield		William Clinton
Chester A. Arthur		George W. Bush
Grover Cleveland

Each postcard will be worth 25 points and will be graded according to this rubric.

Learning Advice

Begin early
Consult a variety of sources
If you need help finding information, please ask - both Mrs. Corsetti and Ms. Stedman are good resources and can help you locate necessary information

Conclusion

As you complete the postcard for each President, you are achieving three goals:

You are building an understanding of the political realities and events that each President faced;
You are solidifying in your mind when events occurred in relation to each other; and
You are creating an excellent review tool for the AP exam.

This page written by Jill Stedman
Last updated: July 25, 2007

This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge 's WebQuest_Template1.html by Tom March