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Compromise and Leadership Choices Overview Presidents Pierce, Garfield, Harding, and Ford are not among the most prominent of American presidents. This lesson begins to
delve into the question of why. The "Compromise Choices" video indicates that these men were not the obvious candidates with stellar leadership experiences, but yet they were chosen, often at crucial times in our history, to
lead the nation. This lesson asks students to look at these men critically but empathetically. Were they thrust into situations beyond their control or capacity? How successful were they given their circumstances?
The final query of the lesson addresses whether political compromise should always be valued. Objectives Students will:
Time Required It is difficult to estimate how long this will take because it depends on how well your students read, research, and synthesize. There are also varying depths to this lesson depending on
how much you would like to generalize from it. If students only watched the video, did the graphic organizer, and had a brief class discussion, it would take one block period of 90 minutes and perhaps 20-30 minutes of
follow-up assessment on another day. It could be done in a good deal of depth over 3-block period lessons of 90 minutes. Materials
Initial Motivation Start this lesson by asking students to think of a time when they
were unexpectedly put into a spotlight position for which they were unprepared. Ask for quick examples. If none come up, suggest a few: perhaps they play second-string pitcher on a baseball team and the starting player
gets hurt in the middle of the game. Maybe they have been an understudy in a play, and the director decided the day before the show that they should play the part. Another idea could be that they themselves agreed to do
a job, but it became much more complex than they had anticipated. It could be a simpler scenario such as a friend volunteering them to answer a question in class that they do not know the answer to. Ask students to
reflect quietly for one minute about a time when they were placed in such a position. Then have students do a five-minute quick write to summarize that experience. Students should not concentrate on spelling, grammar,
etc. to the point of slowing down their thought flow. The details of the event are less important than how they felt and what the consequences were when they were thrust into this position. Ask for a couple of volunteers
(one situation that turned out well and one that did not) to share their stories quickly. Use that as a bridge into the video which tells the story of four presidents who assumed the presidency under similar circumstances:
the situation was thrust upon them. As students watch the video, they should think about the circumstances that led to these men being elected. Were there doubts about their ability to lead? Were these doubts
valid? How well or how badly did these presidents do? Procedures I. Watching the Video
1. Show The American President
video, "Compromise Choices," or assign it when it airs on April 12, 2000. After the initial teaser, pass out the graphic organizers as you introduce the video. It is useful to point out to students that they will be filling out a graphic organizer during the video and should strive to be
concise. For example, they should not try to write down every point covered about Pierce's personality but wait until that section is over and pick two personality traits or aspects of his background that were
influential in his leadership. 2. Mention that you will pause the video in between each president. Explain that after the video, students will be working in groups to debate the merits of these
presidents. Some groups will have to argue for the merits of the president or for the extreme difficulty of the leadership situation while others will take the negative perspective. Point out that the far right
column should be left blank until after some class discussion. 3. Play the video with pauses after each president or for points of clarification (total running time is approximately 56 minutes, or one regular class
period).
II. Group Work
1. Divide students into groups of eight and within that group, pair students up. Explain that each pair will be responsible for one of the four presidents. One member of the pair must argue for why
their president should be remembered favorably or at least sympathetically (PRO president) and the other will argue why their president should be criticized or forgotten in history books (CON president). Within
each pair, whoever's birthday is earlier in the year has the PRO position. Even if the figure is fairly forgettable or should be blamed, the PRO student must look for ways that the president might have been misunderstood
and try to empathize with why that president would have acted as he did. For example, were there outside circumstances beyond his control such as the national or international situation? 2. Advise the pairs
of students to first share notes on their president. Have the PRO students begin a list of reasons their president deserves credit or sympathy. Have the CON students begin a similar list for his or her
position. You should circulate at all times during group work to be sure students are on task, that they have grasped the assignment, etc. 3. Provide additional resources for students to research their
president. Depending on your circumstances, you could print out biography materials from The American President
website, allow students to go to the site themselves, or use books and textbooks. Using these resources, students should begin to develop and practice their PRO or CON arguments. 4. Once the PRO and CON
students have developed their arguments, have the pairs come together in their group of eight. Each pair will present both sides of their president to the remaining six students in their group. The group will use
the two sides presented plus what they learned in the video to make their overall assessment. In complete sentences, they should they record their final assessment in the last column of their graphic
organizer.
III. Full Class Discussion Bring the class back together to share their overall assessments. Begin with Pierce and ask for several volunteers to share their assessments. Try to keep the discussion fairly
balanced. Obviously, these presidents are not our most famous leaders, but try to play Devil's Advocate. How did these men end up in this crucial office? Were they experienced leaders in other areas? How did
the circumstances under which these presidents achieved office make their job difficult? How well did they do? IV. Closure Write the following quote from the end of the video on the board:
A compromise choice for president has not often been the best choice.
In American government, we tend to value compromise; it is at the heart of democracy and allows many people to have a voice as well as to reach some resolution. Ask students about how we can value compromise in
government when we have seen examples of compromise choices for chief executive officer failing. If students are having difficulty with such a broad and somewhat abstract question, use the most modern president from the
video, Gerald Ford, as an example. If students have no knowledge of Watergate, offer a synopsis. Ask students why Gerald Ford, a clear compromise since he was not even elected, might have
been the best choice. What national circumstances dictated that compromise was particularly necessary? Would an ambitious, clear leader have been the best choice? Guide this conversation as you feel best, but try to get at the controversial nature of the quote. Are compromises sometimes necessary? When and why?
Wrap-up the discussion by leaving students with the dilemma: Democracy demands compromises, but compromises are often deeply unsatisfying to both parties. Ask students to ponder what the alternatives are to
compromise. Are they satisfying to American ideals? Assessment Use the assessment exercise to determine student performance on this lesson. Additional Resources These books are at a fairly
high reading level so teachers should gauge their appropriateness for specific students. Detailed textbooks may be more appropriate for other students. Some possible titles are: Pierce:
Nichols, Roy. Franklin Pierce: Young Hickory of the Granite Hills (1931).
Garfield:
Clark, James C. The Murder of James A. Garfield: The President's Last Days and the Trial and Execution of his Assassin. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, 1993. Taylor, John M.
Garfield of Ohio: The Available Man. New York: Norton, 1970.
Harding:
Randolph Downes. The Rise of Warren Gamaliel Harding. Columbus, 1970. Sinclair, Andrew. The Available Man (1965). Traina, Eugene and Wilson, David.
The Presidency of Warren G. Harding. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1977.
Ford:
Cannon, James. Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. Carroll, Peter. It Seemed Like Nothing Happened. New York: Scribners, 1983. Greene, John Robert. The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1995. Nessen, Ron. It Sure Looks Different from the Inside
. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978.
Interdisciplinary Connections English teachers may springboard off of this lesson's treatment of personal leadership. Have students do a creative writing assignment based on a character they create who
was unexpectedly put into a position in the spotlight for which they were unprepared (see initial motivation section above). While the character is talented, he or she is not outstanding—he or she is the compromise
choice. Have students write a first person narrative account of what it feels like to be a compromise choice based on the fictitious scenario that the student creates. How does the character react when all eyes are
suddenly on him or her? Is it exciting, stressful, motivating, or terrifying? Moreover, how does the situation progress? Brooke Graham is a former history teacher and current social studies graduate
student in Charlottesville, Virginia. Compromise and Leadership Choices Graphic Organizer
Compromise and Leadership Choices Assessment Exercise Instructions: Fill in the chart below by placing check marks in the appropriate columns based on whether or not the president met each criterion.
Choose one of the presidents you did not argue for or against. Based on what you know about his time in office and why he was elected, use supporting evidence to explain why he was elected and how you would evaluate his overall time in office. Back up everything you write. This explanation should not exceed two paragraphs.
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