PRESIDENTS' DAY RESOURCES
Presidents' Day is commemorated in 2007 on Monday, February 19.
- The American President (University of Virginia Miller's Center of Public Affairs)
- "The most comprehensive non-partisan resource available on
the history and function of the American presidency." Offers two
perspectives on the presidency: the Presidency in History (with biographical information
on the presidents, listed by era and by name), and the Presidency in Action (with information on the function,
responsibilities, and organization of the modern presidency).
- Information Please Presidential Factfile (InfoPlease)
- Topics: How Do the Presidents Rank?; Portraits of the Presidents; Portraits of the First Ladies;
Biographies of Presidents; List of U.S. Presidents; Order of Succession;
Assassinations; The White House; Vice Presidents; First Families;
Cabinet Members; Life After the Presidency; Presidents' Occupations.
Also sections on trivia (presidential pets!), elections, scandals, quizzes,
and George W. Bush. Beware pop-up ads.
- Presidents of the United States (POTUS) (Internet Public Library)
- Links to biographical information on each of the 43 U.S. presidents,
including Presidential election results, each president's Cabinet members,
notable events during their terms, links to Internet biographies,
links to historical documents relevant to each president, more.
- Groliers Online: The American Presidency
- Selections on the presidency and related topics from The New Book of Knowledge (grades 3-8),
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (grades 5-adult), Encyclopedia Americana (grades 6-adult),
as well as historical video and sound clips, historical election results (1789-2000),
quizzes, and links.
- President's Day or Washington's Birthday? (Factmonster)
- Explanation of the merging of Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays into
Presidents Day in 1971.
- Presidents Day: What Does It Mean? (About.Com - U.S./Canadian Parks)
- Background of the holiday and how various National Park Service historic sites
observe it. Links to related sites.
- Recipes for Presidents' Day (Bev's House)
- Two simple recipes, for Lincoln Log Meatloaf and Washington's Cherry Pounder cake.
First U.S. president. Born 22 February 1732.
- Presidents of the United States: George Washington (Internet Public Library)
- Presidential election results, list of Washington's Cabinet members,
notable events during his term, links to historic places associated with
Washington, annotated links to many Internet biographies, links to
his papers and to both inaugural addresses, The Proclamation of
Neutrality (1793), and his Farewell Address (1796).
- George Washington (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)
- Several documents, including a pretty detailed one-page biography of Washington,
information on Washington in Williamsburg, both inaugural addresses,
and excerpts from a children's book based on George Washington's journal.
- Historic Valley Forge (Independence Hall Association, Philadelphia, PA)
- Sections: Washington's Earnest Prayer; Washington's Vision; Washington in Prayer;
George Washington: The Soldier Through the French and Indian War;
George Washington: The Commander In Chief; Washington's First Inaugural Address;
Washington's Order Against Profanity; Washington's Letter to Governor George Clinton;
Washington's Marquee; and French Alliance Brings Joy to Washington at Valley Forge.
Also: Kids'
Page at Valley Forge.
Sixteenth U.S. president. Born 12 February 1809.
- Presidents of the United States: Abraham Lincoln (Internet Public Library)
- Presidential election results, list of Lincoln's Cabinet members,
notable events during his term, links to historic places associated with
Lincoln, annotated links to many Internet biographies, annotated links to
information about his assassination, links to his papers and
to many proclamations and addresses given by Lincoln.
- Emancipation Proclamation (Abraham Lincoln Online)
- Text of the historic 1863 speech.
- Abraham Lincoln Online (Rhoda Sneller)
- bringing you news about Lincoln books, speeches and writings, historic places, and events.
Education
Links include resources for teachers and students.
- Abraham Lincoln in the Library of Congress (Library of Congress - American Memory Collection)
- Photo gallery, documents, Civil War maps, artifacts of his assassination,
more.
- The History Place Presents Abraham Lincoln (History Place)
- Timeline of Lincoln's life, interspersed with photos and text.
THE PRESIDENCY
- The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden: Teacher Resources (Smithsonian Institution - National Museum of American History)
- Lesson plans in PDF format for grades 4-6, grades 7-9 topics, and grades
10-12 topics, studying various presidents using four major themes:
The Foundations, The Campaign Trail, Life and Death in the White House,
and Communicating the Presidency.
- Hands-On Presidential Acitivites (Smithsonian Institution - National Museum of American History)
- Several interactive activities for kids, including The President Has Many Roles,
All the President's Children, Children Write to the President, The President's Seal,
and Polling.
- TeacherVision Presidents Day Resources (Learning Network)
- Printable pages include symbols of the U.S., patriotic songs, fifty stars and
thirteen stripes, USA Holiday Matching Game, a patriotic book, more.
Also: vocabulary worksheets for grades K-2, grades 3-5, and grades 6-12;
14 lesson plans with literature tie-ins (on presidential elections,
the Gettysburg Address, the powers of the president, etc.); quizzes;
inauguration resources, election Lessons and resources; lesson plans
using Lincoln and Washington to teach various school subjects. Ridiculous number
of pop-up ads.
- Education World: Presidents Day (Education World)
- Five Presidents Day activities for grades
from 3-12; and crafts, database resources, and several articles
for use on Presidents Day.
- Mt. Rushmore (PBS - The American Experience)
- Timeline of the creation of Mount Rushmore, with a teacher's
guide for activities related to the presidency and the monument in Civics, History, Economics, and Geography. Includes
information about an essay contest being held from 1 January 2002 to 24 May 24 2002;
the essay's topic is: If the Park Service ever were to add an inscription
to Mount Rushmore, what do you think it should say?
WASHINGTON
- Mt. Vernon: Meet George Washington (Mount Vernon)
- Biographical information, Washington and slavery, an image gallery and electronic
trading cards, and an online quiz. Also info on school visits. Also, Resources
for Teachers, including a Lesson Plan, Rules of Civility, The Journals of George Washington,
Reading Lists
and Other Resources, George Washington Biography Lesson, Essay and Discussion Questions on George Washington and Slavery (Grades 8-12),
and In the Classroom - Pioneer Farmer.
- The Learning Page: George Washington (Library of Congress)
- Presents three lessons "examining George Washington's
leadership in the French and Indian War, at the Federal Convention,
and as chief executive. They are based on primary source documents
from George Washington Papers, 1741-1799. The lessons are intended
for secondary students, grades 8-12." LOC also offers Collection
Connections using Washington's papers to teach U.S. History, Critical Thinking,
and Arts & Humanities.
LINCOLN
- Abraham Lincoln's Classroom (Lincoln Institute)
- "A resource for scholars and groups involved in the study of the life
of Abraham Lincoln. It features a weekly quiz, maps, political cartoons and commentary, links to web
resources and a teachers section."
- Abraham Lincoln Websites By/For Students (Abraham Lincoln Online)
- Links to about 15 sites developed by or for students, many with lesson plans on
Lincoln.
- Abraham Lincoln Field Trip Ideas (Abraham Lincoln Online)
- Information and links to Lincoln sites in eights states and the District of
Columbia.
- Lincoln and Reconstruction (PBS)
- Grades 8-2. A simulation activity that explores the role of President Lincoln in Reconstruction, 1863-65.
Objectives are to: study the role of the Executive Branch of government, especially in wartime; learn about Presidential Reconstruction during the Civil War years;
and gain an appreciation of the complex issues the nation would face after the Civil War as Congress took on the role of reconstructing the nation.
- Attitudes Toward Emancipation (EdSitement)
- For grades 9-12. Objectives are: To evaluate the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation; to trace
the stages that led to Lincoln's formulation of this policy; to explore the range
of contemporary public opinion on the issue of emancipation; to document the
multifaceted significance of the Emancipation Proclamation within the context of the Civil War era.
- Emancipation Proclamation Jigsaw Activity (Abraham Lincoln Online)
- The class divides into camps supporting one of five motivations for Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation address. Lots of
links to historic documents
discussing the issues.
