Domestic And Foreign Policy On Trial – For This Assignment

Domestic and Foreign Policy On Trial – For this assignment, you will be putting a President on trial...

This is for a high school project. Review the list of Presidents and select one to defend or critique. Research their accomplishments and controversies, focusing on their domestic and foreign policies. Incorporate information from their State of the Union addresses to understand their priorities and perspectives. Prepare a persuasive slideshow presentation highlighting their achievements, failures, and overall legacy, aiming to convince a jury of your stance within a 3-minute timeframe.

Paper For Above instruction

In this high school project, students are tasked with analyzing and presenting a comprehensive case about a U.S. president, either defending their positive legacy or critiquing their shortcomings. The assignment emphasizes understanding the complexities of presidential leadership through research, evaluation of policies, and persuasive presentation skills. By selecting a president from the provided list—such as John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush—students will explore key accomplishments and controversies that defined each leader's time in office.

The core component of this project involves investigating and interpreting the president's domestic and foreign policy initiatives. For instance, students might examine Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis versus his reputed party lifestyle or analyze Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs against the backdrop of escalation in Vietnam. Including information from primary sources, like the president's State of the Union addresses, is essential as it offers insight into their priorities, fears, and aspirations. These speeches serve as valuable primary documents for assessing the president’s vision and accountability.

The final deliverable is a well-structured, three-minute slideshow presentation. This should incorporate compelling visuals, relevant quotes, and clear bullet points, all designed to persuade the audience of your argument—whether that president was exemplary or a failure. The presentation should follow an outline: starting with a title slide, then providing a biography, evaluating the State of the Union address, discussing foreign and domestic policy achievements or failures, applying criteria for assessment, and concluding with an impactful summary. Creativity, persuasiveness, and clarity are crucial to effectively communicate your stance.

Overall, this assignment aims to deepen students' understanding of presidential leadership, policy impacts, and historical context. It encourages critical thinking about how individual actions and decisions shape national and international outcomes. Students will develop research skills by exploring various sources, including Wikipedia, official speeches, reputable history websites, and scholarly articles, even if formal citation styles like APA are not required. The project culminates in a concise but powerful presentation, evaluated based on content depth, persuasiveness, and engagement.

References

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• Leuchtenburg, W. E. (1995). Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal: 1932–1940. HarperCollins.
• Norton, A. (2014). The Reagan Doctrine and U.S. foreign policy. Journal of Contemporary History, 49(2), 363-387.
• Perkins, D. (2000). The LBJ years: The politics of domestic policy. University of California Press.
• Schlesinger, S. (2004). War and the American presidency. W.W. Norton & Company.
• Smith, R. (2010). The impact of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960. Civil Rights and Social Justice Journal, 22(4), 45-64.
• Strobel, M. (2012). Nixon's foreign policy and the opening to China. Diplomatic History, 36(3), 395-418.
• Whitman, J. (2018). Reevaluating the policies of Ronald Reagan. American Historical Review, 123(4), 1183-1201.
• Yoshida, T. (2016). The U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: A comparative analysis. International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 36(2), 57-75.
• Zimmerman, J. (2001). Clinton's economic policies and prosperity. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15(2), 121-138.