Marc Turetzky
Pols1, Spring 2016
Name _______________________________________________________
Presidency Questions
1) Who was President during the Mexican-American War (1846-48)?
2) Who was President during WWI (1914-1918)?
3) Who elects the President of the United States?
4) Who becomes President if BOTH the POTUS and Vice-POTUS dies?
5) How long is a Presidential term?
6) What are the main duties of the POTUS?
7) Which President was the second Commander-in-Chief of the United States?
8) How many presidents have been assassinated? Who were they?
9) How many presidents died of natural causes during their presidency? Who were they?
10) How many presidents have been impeached? Who were they?
11) Thinking about the clips from the History Channel of great and not so great presidents, what seems to be the
determinants, or ingredients, by which we judge a POTUS? By what objective criteria SHOULD we judge the job they
do?
a. Teddy Roosevelt (Great):
b. Warren Harding (Terrible):
12) As stated above, you’ve seen a few History Channel presidency short presidency bios. Most of those deemed
“great” were thrust into a crisis (economic collapse, war etc…). Is there a way for a president to emerge as historically
“great” w/o facing dire circumstances like Lincoln or FDR?
13) As a country do you think we are heading in the right or wrong direction? Do you approve or disapprove of the job
President Obama is doing to date? Try and provide a short list of reasons for both questions. Thanks.
Dr. Marc Turetzky
Pols 1: U.S. Institutions
Spring 2016
Name ____________________________________
Video Worksheet: “Mandate-The President and the People”
1) What is a mandate? What does it mean when a president claims a popular mandate and where does the
video suggest this idea came from?
2) What did the video suggest George Washington was like as a leader? Did he earn a popular mandate?
3) Who was Andrew Jackson and why does the video suggest his presidency was so unique? What was
Jackson’s mandate and are there any dangers inherent in giving a president such powers?
4) Who was Abraham Lincoln and what was his mandate? Did he earn one during his first election? Why do
so many historians and political scientists consider Lincoln such a great president?
5) The video argues that Teddy Roosevelt “invented the modern presidency.” How did he do this?
6) Who was FDR? How did he redefine the American presidency and the concept of mandate? Can you see
any dark sides to how he used public opinion and his “mandate?”
7) In your judgment, is a presidential mandate a good or a bad thing? Does it depend on the president and
how they use it? Is a mandate a mechanism to elect “dictators?” Should presidents lead or simply reflect the
attitudes of the American people?