Four Men, Four Presidents: Who Would Win if the Election Were Held Today?
By Diane Brantley

Overview

Jefferson, Coolidge, Hoover and Reagan each distinguished themselves as great American patriots during their presidencies.  What would happen if these men were pitted against one another for the office of president of the United States in today's world?  In this lesson, the students will research each of these past presidents and develop a presidential platform that would be relevant in contemporary society; this platform will be based on the values, beliefs and actions of each man.  The lesson culminates with a presidential election.

Background

Some of the presidents were great military leaders.  Some were men of great intellect.  Some were great humanitarians and some sought to define the American Way.  Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan were true patriots—men who believed in the American Dream and sought to make it a reality for the citizens of the United States.  Thomas Jefferson was considered to be a political radical in his time.  He helped to define this country when he penned the Declaration of Independence.  Jefferson was dubbed "The People's President." 

Calvin Coolidge lived in a more mature United States when the economy was booming and prohibition was the way of the country.  Coolidge was honest, reliable, hard working and utilized the new technology of the day to make himself accessible to the people. 

Herbert Hoover took over the presidency in a time of flux and economic instability.   A man of humble beginnings, Hoover was often called the "Food Czar" because of his humanitarian efforts to feed the poor and hungry of the world.  Ronald Reagan, the "Great Communicator," was known for his strong personal convictions, patriotism and his ability to talk to the people of the United States.

Each man, each president had his strengths and his weaknesses.  Each made a significant contribution to our nation.  The question then becomes how would these men fare if they were running for president in today's world?  How would their beliefs be manifested in relation to the issues that are facing the people of our country and our world now?

Objectives

Students will:

  • Use a variety of print media and Internet technologies to research the background of one of the four presidents
  • Brainstorm a list of the important issues facing the United States today
  • Analyze the information gathered and develop a contemporary political platform for a president
  • Role-play a presidential candidate and deliver his issues speech during the classroom political convention
  • Develop an understanding of the election process by participating in a classroom election

Materials

Time Required

This lesson will require two to three class periods.

Initial Motivation

Ask the class to brainstorm a list of relevant issues that are of importance to the voting public today.  Have students use this list to guide their focus as they watch "The American Way" video.  Instruct them to take notes on the important issues facing each president during his term(s) in office.

Procedures

  1. After viewing the video, have students complete presidential biography maps on one of the four presidents (Jefferson, Coolidge, Hoover or Reagan).  Encourage students to use the Internet, textbooks on U.S. history or presidents, encyclopedias, biographies, etc.  The American President website biographies will help students with facts on the presidents they are researching. This may be done as an individual or small group activity. 
  2. If you haven't done so, divide the class into four groups, assigning each one president.
  3. Using their biography maps and the list of relevant issues from the initial motivation, have the groups develop political platforms for their presidents. Each platform should be written in the form of an election speech and reflect the beliefs of the president within the context of today's issues. Guidelines for the platform include:
     
    1. One paragraph introduction that states the candidate's background and qualifications for president.
    2. Three to four additional paragraphs that clearly define the candidate's stand on the issues raised by the students in the class.  Each paragraph should begin with a one to two sentence statement of the issue and the candidate's position on the issue.  The remaining sentences in the paragraph should support the candidate's position.
    3. The final paragraph should be a summation of the platform and should strongly state why the candidate is the best candidate for president.
       
  4. Have each group select a group member to represent the candidate in an election. These four students will then deliver their respective groups' speeches to the class and discuss the issues presented.
  5. Following their speeches, hold a presidential election in which each student casts a vote for the candidate of their choice.  The votes will be tallied to determine the winner.
  6. Have a debriefing session after the election to discuss which candidate won and the reasons why a particular candidate was elected.  Some possible questions might include:
     
    1. Which candidate best articulated his viewpoints on the issues?
    2. What made you vote for a particular candidate?
    3. What qualities did you find to be most important when selecting a candidate?
    4. What were your reasons for not selecting the other candidates?
    5. Were there any issues that the candidates neglected?
    6. After participating in the election process, what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of our electoral system?
       
  7. You may choose to culminate the activity with an inaugural address given by the winning candidate.

Assessment

A variety of assessments can be utilized throughout the election process. Below is a sample rubric: 

    Candidate Platform Speech:

      Score: 3 

    • Demonstrates a mastery of the conventions of writing (grammar, spelling, punctuation)
    • Paragraphs contain one main idea followed by 4-5 supporting sentences
    • Contains a minimum of five paragraphs
    • Demonstrates a clarity of thought (makes sense)
    • Presents the speech orally to the class

      • Score: 2

    • Demonstrates an adequate understanding of the conventions of writing
    • Paragraphs contain one main idea followed by 2-3 supporting sentences
    • Contains a minimum of three paragraphs
    • Writing style does not inhibit the meaning of the speech
    • Presents the speech orally to the class

      • Score: 1

  • Demonstrates some understanding of the conventions of writing
  • Paragraphs lack clarity of thought and may contain some unrelated ideas
  • Presents speech orally to the class

      • Score: 0

  • No attempt

    • Cooperative Group Grade:  Each group should be given a grade based on cooperation, time on task, and completion of the project.

    Learning Logs:  Ask students to write summaries and reflections at the end of each class period on the activities they participated in that day.  These can be collected and scored on a daily basis.     

Interdisciplinary Connections

This lesson lends itself to many inter-curricular connections.  Students may further investigate the particular time period in which each president lived to develop an understanding of the economy, culture, arts and literature of the period.  Additionally, students may design a "period" newspaper, hold a fashion show, create recipes, etc. to depict the time period.  It would also be possible to utilize this activity with any of the other videos in The American President series.

Diane Brantley is a doctoral student and teaches social studies methods courses to pre-service teachers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Four Men, Four Presidents: Who Would Win if the Election Were Held Today?

Presidential Biography Map

Personal Traits

 

 

 

 

  

Beliefs

 

 

 

 
 

President's Name

 

 

 

 

  

Contributions to Society

 

 

Demographic Information