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NCSS
Strand 3
People, Places, and Environments
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NCSS
Strand 10
Civic Ideals and Practices
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NCTE
Standard 7
Students conduct research by generating ideas, questions, and problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data.
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ISTE
Standard 5
Technology research tools
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ISTE
Standard 6
Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
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Introduction:
Today, one can clearly see that Eleanor Roosevelt was a woman of many accomplishments including a role model and an agent for change . Though viewed positively today, Eleanor Roosevelt was considered scandalous by many. Scandal surrounded her when she went into a coal mind to inspect it; such behavior was not considered ladylike. Scandal surrounded her when she supported friends in positions of public employ; such behavior was not considered proper behavior on the part of a president’s wife. Scandal surrounded her friendships with Lorena Hickok and Joseph Lash; the relationships were viewed suspiciously by opponents and considered improper for a First Lady.
Objectives:
In this lesson student will gain a historical perspective of scandal and the American presidency.
Materials Required:
Access to the Internet and/or access to a public library.
Procedures:
1. Explain to students, that for the most part, no president held office without at least a little scandal. For example, even Thomas Jefferson dealt with the scandal of a child born to one of his slaves who we now know was his child, but at the time of his presidency, was simply a scandalous rumor.
2. Share with students that songs were written and used to mock Thomas Jefferson and explain the fun people have with scandals.
3. Below is a chart of presidents and scandals that plagued their presidency. Divide the presidential scandals equally among the students in the class.
President
|
Scandal
|
John Adams |
XYZ Correspondence |
Andrew Jackson |
Bigamy |
Thomas Jefferson |
Sally Hemmings |
Martin Van Buren |
Ellen Randolph |
John Tyler |
Julia Gardiner |
James Polk |
Mexican American War |
Zachary Taylor |
Corrupt Cabinet |
Franklin Pierce |
Ostend Manifesto |
Abraham Lincoln |
Old Clothes Scandal |
Andrew Johnson |
Reconstruction |
Ulysses Grant |
Credit Mobilier |
Ulysses Grant |
Whiskey Ring |
Rutherford Hayes |
His Fraudulency |
James A Garfield |
Credit Mobilier |
Chester Arthur |
Machine Politics |
Grover Cleveland |
Illegitimate Child |
Theodore Roosevelt |
Campaign Finance |
William Taft |
Ballinger-Pinchot |
Woodrow Wilson |
Petticoat Government |
Warren Harding |
Teapot Dome |
Herbert Hoover |
Lou Hoover and Mrs. DePreist |
Franklin Roosevelt |
Eleanor Roosevelt and Civil Rights |
Dwight Eisenhower |
Francis Gary Powers |
John Kennedy |
Bay of Pigs |
Lyndon Johnson |
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution |
Richard Nixon |
Watergate |
Gerald Ford |
Betty Ford and Equal Rights Amendment |
Jimmy Carter |
Roslyn Carter Cabinet Meetings |
Ronald Reagan |
Iran-Contra |
George H. Bush |
Savings and Loan Scandal |
Bill Clinton |
Whitewater |
George W. Bush |
CIA Agent Leak |
4. Using the Internet and/or a public library, have students research the scandal assigned, answering the following questions:
- What was the scandal about?
- Who was considered guilty in the scandal, at the time of the scandal, and why?
- Do we know today more about the scandal and, if so, what do we know?
- Did the scandal result in further events (i.e. cover-ups, war, etc.)?
- Who benefited from the scandal and how so?
- Who was hurt by the scandal and how so?
- How was the scandal spread? For example, was a song similar to the one about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings created? Was it spread through 'yellow journalism' tabloids?
5. Once students complete their research, have a class discussion on their findings as well as scandals of public figures and gossip on a personal level.
Extending the Lesson:
To extend this lesson, have students write and perform a song about the scandal.
Sources & Resources:
Eleanor Roosevelt:
Juvenile
Freedman, Russell. Eleanor Roosevelt, a Life of Discovery. New York: Clarion Books, 1993. (Newberry Award)
Rosenburg, Pam. Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Compass Point Books, 2003.
Winget, Mary. Eleanor Roosevelt. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2003.
Adult
Embridge, David (ed.). My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt’s Newspaper columns, 1936-1962. New York: First Da Capo Press, 2001.
Feinberg, Barbara Silberdick. Eleanor Roosevelt, a Very Special Lady. Brookfield: The Millbrook Press, 2003.
Mattern, Joanne. Eleanor Roosevelt, More Than a First Lady. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003.
Roosevelt, Eleanor. The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961.
Roosevelt, Eleanor. You Learn By Living. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960.
Presidential Scandals:
Lawson, Don. Famous Presidential Scandals (Government Series). Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers Inc, 1990.
Olsen, Keith W. Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2003.
Schultz, Jeffrey D. Presidential Scandals. Washington, D. C.: Congressional Quarterly Books, 1999.
Shield-West, Eileen and MacNelly, Jeff. The World Almanac of Presidential Campaigns: All the Facts, Anecdotes, Scandals, and Mudslinging in the History of the Race for the White House. New York: World Almanac, 1992.
Stratton, David H. Tempest over Teapot Dome: The Story of Albert B. Fall. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.
Trefousse, Hans L. Impeachment of a President: Andrew Johnson, the Blacks, and Reconstruction. Bronx; Fordham University Press, 1999.
Williams, Robert. Political Scandals in the USA. Edinburgh: Keele University Press, 1998.
Websites:
Eleanor Roosevelt:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ar32.html
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/erbio.html
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/index.html
Presidential Scandal:
http://www.thecongress.com/presiden.htm
http://www.presidentsusa.net/presidential_scandals.html
Credits:
This lesson was written by Debra L. Clark, Kent State University.
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