Unit 4: The President and the Bureaucracy Inquiry Organizer

Guiding Question: What is the legitimate exercise of executive powers?  

Objectives: 

• The student will evaluate the actions of the president against the original conception of the presidency in a constitutional republic, applying principles of governance and accountability.
• The student will analyze situations where energy and decisiveness within the executive branch are in tension with the need for restraint, synthesizing historical precedents and contemporary examples.
• The student will assess the evolving nature of the presidency and the executive branch, discerning the impact of societal changes and constitutional principles on their roles and responsibilities.
• The student will analyze the relationship between the executive branch, civil society, and the execution of laws, evaluating the extent of government influence on daily life and societal structures.
• The student will apply principles of prudence in evaluating decision-making within the executive branch, considering the multifaceted factors involved in addressing national issues and their impacts on citizens.

Unit Introduction	Resources  Video: Student Introduction   Activity: The Presidential Oath of Office  Activity: Peaceful Transition of Power  Primary Source: The Presidential Oath of Office  Supplemental Resources  Presidents and the Constitution
What is the Executive Branch?	Resources  Essay: What is the Executive Branch?  Primary Source: Federalist #70  Version 1  Version 2  Primary Source: Constitution Article II  Version 1  Version 2  Supplemental Resources   The Role of Government According to the Founders and the Progressives
What is the role of the executive branch?	Resources  Video: The Presidency and the Constitution   Primary Source: Constitution, Article II  Version 1  Version 2  Activity: The Roles of the President  Activity: The Role of the Executive Branch  Activity: The Commander-in-Chief  Supplemental Resources  Infographic: Separation of Powers   Jimmy Carter and the Panama Canal Treaty
How does the modern presidency differ from the role envisioned by the Founders in a constitutional republic?	Resources Technology and the Presidency: The State of the Union Interactive Timeline  Lesson: Communication Technology and the Presidency  Case Study: War Powers  Case Study: Federal Regulation of the Economy and Society  Case Study: Executive Orders
How does the executive branch influence the execution of laws, and to what extent does this impact daily life?	Resources  Video: What Is the Bureaucracy?  Primary Source: Critics of Bureaucratic Government: Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan  Version 1  Version 2  Primary Source: Supporters of Bureaucratic Government: Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt  Version 1  Version 2  Lesson: Structured Academic Controversy: Does the federal bureaucracy wield too much power in the U.S. constitutional republic?  Graphic Organizer: Major Departments in the Bureaucracy  Supplemental Resources  Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Great Depression  The Progressive Movement DBQ
Assessments	Resources Multiple Choice Questions    AP-style Free Response Question