Current Connections- Presidents' Day

Primary Source Activities

These rich Primary Sources come with questions to guide students through analysis and can be used to facilitate classroom discussions.

Secondary

Conflicts Within Washington’s Cabinet

Two of George Washington’s closest advisers held opposing viewpoints. Read these primary sources and make an argument about how disagreements within Washington’s cabinet affected American politics.

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Secondary

Washington’s Farewell Address

Read George Washington’s farewell address, then identify key passages that support Washington’s arguments.

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Secondary

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” Speech, 1941

Read an excerpt from the Four Freedoms speech, then reflect on the meaning of his words and how they impacted Americans at the time.

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Secondary

The Presidency in Contemporary America

Read excerpts from the speeches of 7 presidents, identify similarities and differences among them, and then conduct research to find a speech from today’s president and compare it to these examples.

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Secondary

Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Duties of American Citizenship” Speech (1883)

Read an excerpt from The Duties of American Citizenship speech and analyze it. Write a paragraph agreeing with and a paragraph disagreeing with a section of the speech.

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Biographies

Learn about six presidents. Consider assigning a group to read each and share what they’ve learned.

George Washington Download biography	Abraham Lincoln Download biography	Theodore Roosevelt Download biography
Franklin D. Roosevelt Download biography	Ronald Reagan Download biography	Barack Obama Download biography