Students will learn about the executive branch, including the unique role and powers of the president and the function of executive departments and agencies. They will explore key facets of foreign policy and the president’s role in it.

Who wants to be President? Players must use their multitasking skills as they consider bills to sign, fly off for diplomatic meetings and act as commander-in-chief to handle a military crisis.

In this interactive game, students experience the decisions that have to be made by the President of the United States. Ever wanted to be President for a day? In Executive Command, you can be President for four years! Try to accomplish what you set as your agenda while facing the challenges and responsibilities that crop up along the way. Being commander-in-chief and chief executive is no easy job! See how you do!

This lesson focuses on the landmark Supreme Court case Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952), which challenged the extent to which the president of the United States can exercise power during times of foreign conflict. The underlying issue, which has arisen throughout our nation's history, is to define the balance of power among the three branches of government during times of national emergency.
This lesson, based on the Annenberg Classroom video âKey Constitutional Concepts: Presidential Power,â is meant to teach students how constitutional law determines the parameters of presidential power by focusing on President Harry Truman's domestic policy regarding labor and the steel industry during the Korean War.
The estimated time for this lesson plan is 45 minutes.

Can’t make it in-person? Join our special livestream of the Sunday presentation of "An Evening with the Presidents.” Join Washington, Jefferson, and Madison this President’s Day weekend for a special LIVE! from History online evening event. The Presidents will explore how their administrations navigated party, faction, and the extensive differences that challenged America during their times. Recognizing that throughout our history, the United States has been a nation divided politically with different opinions and points of view. This was as much the case in our infancy as it is today. Hosted by Barbara Hamm Lee.

In this Learning Adventure, we’ll examine what parts of the Constitution give the branches of the Federal Government their specific powers. Those three parts are Article I, Article II, and Article III.

In this Learning Adventure, we’ll discover who made the Branches of Government and why they’re so important.

Students will read President Madison's War Message (in either an edited/annotated or full-text version) and be given the opportunity to raise questions about its contents.

As the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 continued to develop a plan of government that would remedy the defects of the Articles of Confederation, one of the most difficult challenges was creating the office of the presidency. This lesson will focus on the arguments over the various characteristics and powers of the office of president as debated during the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

George Washington became President"”reluctantly"”at a critical time in the history of the United States. The Confederation had threatened to unravel; the weak central government (which included a weak executive with the sole responsibility of presiding over meetings of Congress and no special power to initiate laws beyond that of any member of Congress, enforce laws, or check acts of Congress) created by the Articles of Confederation had failed.

The complex relationship between the presidency and public opinion is examined by leading historians, political scientists and public figures who also offer insight into the office and its occupants from George Washington to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In this interactive game, students experience the decisions that have to be made by the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. People's Pie is a balancing act! You must fund important programs without setting tax rates too high or borrowing too much money. To succeed, you must keep your residents happy and avoid a burdensome national debt. Are you ready for a piece of People’s Pie?

Four short videos explain the significance of presidential signing statements: Separation of Powers, Non-Enforcement, the Unitary Theory and the President's Intent. Hosted by Gwen Ifill, senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Through these lessons, students learn to identify and describe the various roles and responsibilities of the President of the United States and their own roles as citizens of a democracy.

In order to become informed participants in a democracy, students must learn about the women and men who make decisions concerning their lives, their country, and the world. The President of the United States is one such leader. As a nation, we place no greater responsibility on any one individual than we do on the president. Through these lessons, students learn about the roles and responsibilities of the president and their own roles as citizens of a democracy.

Do you think you know America's presidents? Find out in this interactive quiz.

Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution gives the president the power to make treaties with other countries, with the approval of two-thirds of the Senate.

Show what you know about the U.S. government and important documents using this downloadable crossword puzzle.