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Description
This engaging resource book focuses on a specific, yet defining, aspect of any president's time in office: his foreign policy decisions and actions in resolving international crises.
The president is the nation's leading diplomat, and his actions in that role, especially in times of crisis and war, becoming defining moments of his legacy. Since the United States emerged as a world power, American presidents, in their interactions with allies and antagonists, have positioned the nation as coalition partners, uncompromising unilateralists, insistent and conciliatory, isolated and engaged.
The Presidency offers a historical context for looking at how U.S. presidents have dealt with diplomacy in foreign affairs during conflicts and crises. Coverage ranges from George Washington to George W. Bush, focusing specifically on two revealing events: Woodrow Wilson's uncompromising championing of the League of Nations and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's accommodating participation at the Yalta conference with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.
Working through activities related to these two events, students will explore the ongoing tension between pragmatism and idealism, the gap between unilateralism and diplomacy, and the role of Congress and the American public in setting national policy—topics of immediate relevance to the world today and our place in it.
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| Series Features |
In each volume:- An introduction gives a broad overview of the topic; use it to create a general lesson or lecture on the issue at hand, or to prepare students for the historical analysis portions
- "Throughout History" provides a narrative chronology—for example, the impact of civil rights initiatives on the women's movement, or the foreign policy approaches of various presidents; use this material to create a preparatory lecture for the resource book's interactive portions or as a handout
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Title Features |
- Over 50 primary sources, including a photo of Woodrow Wilson on his League of Nations peace tour in 1919; excerpts from the 1941 Atlantic Charter, excerpts from Roosevelt's message to Congress in 1941, and the 1942 declaration of the United Nations; and dozens of political cartoons
- Classroom activities include role-playing senate debates and negotiations between world leaders, dramatic readings, and critical analysis of photographs and political cartoons
- A “Throughout History” section provides a chronology of the defining foreign policy events in presidencies from George Washington to George W. Bush
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Highlights |
- Covers key U.S. history topics, with contributions from accomplished historians and activities from award-winning teachers
- Uses powerful interactive classroom activities to turn students into historical detectives, exploring the ways in which presidencies have been made or broken by foreign affairs
- Examines specific instances of foreign policy and presidential decision-making in a context that helps students understand both the historical context and the present-day relevance of the topic
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