International Relations and the Constitutional Separation of Powers
Guiding Questions
- What powers does the President have as chief diplomat, and in what ways can the other branches check those powers?
Objectives
Students will be able to analyze and explain the powers and the limitations of the president in their role as chief diplomat, both historically and currently.
- democracy
- Parliament
- Constitution
- checks and balances
- republic
- Alexander Hamilton
- James Madison
- George Washington
- separation of powers
Using a historic event, briefly explain to students how the President is the Chief Diplomat; then ask them to write a job description for that particular role the President plays. Once they are done, students should share their description with a partner. (Think/pair/share)
International Relations and Separation of Powers Activity: Compare Articles of Confederation with U.S. Constitution
Have students work in pairs, small groups, or as a large group to compare excerpts from the Handout A: Articles of Confederation with Handout B: Excerpts from the U.S. Constitution completing the table on Handout C: Compare Articles of Confederation with U.S. Constitution.
International Relations and Separation of Powers Activity: Analyze the President’s Role as Chief Diplomat
Distribute Handout D: The President’s Role as Chief Diplomat and Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.
Explain that while the phrase, “Chief Diplomat” never appears in the Constitution, several passages in Article II describing the duties of the President effectively give him or her this role. According to one constitutional scholar, the President is “the sole representative of the country when dealing with foreign powers.”
Have students work in small groups to define each phrase and explain how it pertains to the role of a diplomat—a person designated to represent his or her country in official negotiation with other countries.
After allowing a few minutes for students to discuss in their groups, conduct a large group discussion to fill in the blanks on the chart. Use available technology to record responses.
International Relations and Separation of Powers Activity: Pacificus-Helvidius Debate
Have each student work with a partner or two to read the excerpts in order to evaluate both sides in the Pacificus-Helvidius Debate of 1793 using Handout E: Pacificus-Helvidius Debate. Then they will assess the modern relevance of this debate in answering these questions:
According to Pacificus, which branch of government was the proper one to make a proclamation of United States neutrality in the war between France and Great Britain? Why?
According to Helvidius, which branch of government was the proper one to make a proclamation of United States neutrality in the war between France and Great Britain? Why?
With which position do you agree? To what extent, if at all, is this debate about the relative roles of the executive and the legislative branches relevant today?
Have students respond to this prompt: George Washington warned against foreign entanglements. Can the President be a diplomat to other countries and still keep the US out of foreign affairs? Why or why not?
Extend
Have students choose a current event involving foreign policy and analyze it to see what powers the president used and if and how those powers were checked by the other 2 branches. If the power was checked, how did it affect the outcome? Do you believe the President still completed their role as Chief Diplomat? If not, do you believe the powers should have been checked, why or why not? Create a presentation to share your findings with the class.