Examine the powers of the Executive Branch with these video segments from Ken Burns' The Roosevelts. Presidents Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt expanded the powers of the executive branch as few other presidents before them had. Their administrations played key roles in the evolution of Americans’ relationship with their government and the role of the United States on the world stage.
In the activity that follows, students will analyze the powers granted the presidency in Article II of the U.S. Constitution and to consider how past presidents have exercised this power in practice. Students will discover that the powers of the president are sometimes a matter of interpretation and circumstance. Students will then analyize the exercise of presidential power by the Roosevelts during their respective terms in office.
Learning Objectives:
Determine what role the government should play in the regulation of business and the economy.
Identify and determine the powers granted to the president in the Constitution’s Article II and how these powers help fulfill the president’s duties.
Analyze the extent to which both Presidents Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt exercised their power in domestic and international affairs, and how they expanded presidential power beyond the traditional interpretation of the Constitution.
Opening Activity:
Students will consider the powers of the executive branch from two different perspectives: the literal and the pragmatic. In this activity, students examine presidential authority as defined in Article II of the Constitution. Students will match this outlined authority with the responsibilities of a president.
1. Divide the class into think-pair-share groups or have students complete the activity individually.
2. Distribute tos students Handout: “Understanding the Powers of the President” and review the directions with students.
3. Review Article II of the Constitution, making sure students understand the language of the article and its content. Then have students review the “Roles and Responsibilities of the President” to identify where these responsibilities are enumerated in Article II.
4. When students have finished the activity, review their answers with the answer key.
Examine the powers of the Executive Branch with these video segments from Ken Burns' The Roosevelts. Presidents Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt expanded the powers of the executive branch as few other presidents before them had. Their administrations played key roles in the evolution of Americans’ relationship with their government and the role of the United States on the world stage.
In the activity that follows, students will analyze the powers granted the presidency in Article II of the U.S. Constitution and to consider how past presidents have exercised this power in practice. Students will discover that the powers of the president are sometimes a matter of interpretation and circumstance. Students will then analyize the exercise of presidential power by the Roosevelts during their respective terms in office.
Learning Objectives:
Determine what role the government should play in the regulation of business and the economy.
Identify and determine the powers granted to the president in the Constitution’s Article II and how these powers help fulfill the president’s duties.
Analyze the extent to which both Presidents Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt exercised their power in domestic and international affairs, and how they expanded presidential power beyond the traditional interpretation of the Constitution.
Opening Activity:
Students will consider the powers of the executive branch from two different perspectives: the literal and the pragmatic. In this activity, students examine presidential authority as defined in Article II of the Constitution. Students will match this outlined authority with the responsibilities of a president.
1. Divide the class into think-pair-share groups or have students complete the activity individually.
2. Distribute tos students Handout: “Understanding the Powers of the President” and review the directions with students.
3. Review Article II of the Constitution, making sure students understand the language of the article and its content. Then have students review the “Roles and Responsibilities of the President” to identify where these responsibilities are enumerated in Article II.
4. When students have finished the activity, review their answers with the answer key.
