Meeting of the Minds: Family Ties
By Mira Spiegel Cohen

Overview

George Walker Bush wants to be our 43rd president.  He is the son of our 41st president, George Herbert Walker Bush.  Presidential candidate Albert Gore is the son of a powerful former senator from Tennessee.  John Quincy Adams, our 6th president, was the son of our 2nd president, John Adams.  Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd president, was the grandson of our 9th president, William Henry Harrison.  Franklin D. Roosevelt, our 32nd president, was the cousin of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt.  Two brothers who both were serious contenders for the presidency followed John Kennedy, our 35th president.  What advice would these presidents give to George W. Bush and Al Gore about following in  the political footsteps of their fathers.  What is it about family ties that facilitate the rise of these men to the presidency?  How does such a connection help or hinder their ambitions?  Why do we vote for these dynastic presidents?

This lesson helps students explore and address these questions as they extend their understanding of the concept of American dynasties as developed in the "Family Ties" episode.  Students will use the knowledge they gained from the video and apply it to create a conversation among the presidents profiled in the program and George W. Bush and Al Gore.  This lesson could be used in any high school U.S. history or government classroom.

Objectives

Students will:

  • Compare and contrast the backgrounds of John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, with those of George W. Bush and Al Gore
  • Research and describe the backgrounds of George W. Bush and Al Gore
  • Develop a conversation among John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush and Al Gore

Time Required

The lesson will take between one and two 50-minute class periods.

Materials

  • "Family Ties" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy
  • News articles on George W. Bush and Al Gore
  • Websites on George W. Bush and Al Gore

Initial Motivation

Ask students to think about what jobs people in their families have.  Have family members influenced decisions in the family about jobs and occupations?  Ask students how many of them plan on going into the family business or following their parents' footsteps into an occupation?  Ask if they think that following their parents into an existing business or profession is easier or harder?  Why?  Have students respond in a quick write-up or discussion.

Procedures

    1. Show the "Family Ties" video.

    2. Assign students to develop a conversation in dialogue format between or among the presidents featured in the video (John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy) and George W. Bush and Al Gore.  You may choose the number of participants.  Each conversation should be one to two typed pages long.

    3. You may ask the students to work in groups and assign each person a character, or ask the students to work alone.  The American President website biographies will help students with facts on the presidents.

    4. Have students focus on the following points as they develop their conversations:

    a. In what ways was your home life a training ground for the presidency?

    b. Were there any family pressures imposed on you to succeed politically?  Explain.

    c. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to fulfill your family name?  Explain.

    d. Richard Neustadt, in the "Family Ties" video, said that Americans enjoy native aristocrats as long as they have a "common" or "popular" touch.  What do you think is meant by the term "common touch"?  Do you agree with Neustadt's statement?  Do you think you have a common touch?

    e. Did you ever think of your upbringing or your "aristocratic" roots as a hindrance?  Explain.

    5. Have students share their conversations with the class.

Assessment

The following assessment is based on a ten-point scale:

9 – 10   Developed all six characters and each of the five points.  Conversation is clearly written.

8  Developed four to five characters well and four of five points.  Conversation is clearly written.

7 Developed two to three characters well and three of the five points.  Conversation is vague.

6  Developed one character well and two of five points.  Conversation is vague.

0 – 5  Very poorly developed.  Conversation is vague.

Additional Resources

Official website of the Bush Presidential Exploratory Committee: http://www.georgebush.com

National Governors' Association biography of Gov. Bush: http://www.nga.org/Governor/GovTexas.asp

Official website of the Al Gore campaign: http://www.algore2000.com

Interdisciplinary Connections

English teachers may want to assign biographies of presidents.  English classes could read historical novels involving the time periods of each of the presidents listed above.  Students could also study the dialogue format by reading plays in English or studying theater.  Students may want to produce their conversations in a theater class.

Mira Spiegel Cohen teaches AP government and history at Beverly Hills High School in California.