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							                          Road to the White House
Background information:

The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest ranking official in
the U.S. government.
The President and vice president are the only nationally elected officials. If the
president dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the vice president succeeds
him. In addition, the vice president may serve temporarily as acting president if
the president, for whatever reason, is unable to discharge the duties of the office.
Like the president, the vice president must be at least 35 years old.
The Constitution of the United States prescribes only one duty for the vice
president. He is the president, or presiding officer, of the U.S. Senate, and if a
Senate vote ends in a tie the vice president may vote to break the tie. The vice
president has been assigned other duties by statute, and the president may give
him other responsibilities. The importance of the vice president derives almost
entirely from the fact that at any moment he may succeed to the most powerful
office in the world.
Would it surprise you to know that when President William Harrison died in office
no one knew for sure what role the vice president was supposed to play?
George Washington established many precedents for the office of president—
how we should address the president, how many terms a president should
serve—but it wasn't until our tenth president, John Tyler, that a precedent was
established that would dictate what would happen if a president died in office.
Tyler's presidency was characterized by a lack of support by the party that
elected him to office.
Harry Truman was sworn into the office of Vice President on January 20, 1945.
He had been in office only 3 months when President Roosevelt died and Mr.
Truman became President (April 12, 1945).


Lesson Description

The lesson will examine the role of the Vice President in the US political system.
Students will create a list of characteristics they believe a political party should
consider when selecting the running mate for a presidential candidate. In the
second part of the lesson the students will focus on a variety of vice presidents
who became president and how the nation and their own political parties dealt
with these presidents.
Objectives:

Students will be able to:
              1. Define the role of the Vice President
              2. Compare a variety of Vice President’s in US History

Vocabulary:
Succession – The sequence in which one person after another succeeds to a
title. Example: The Vice President succeeds to the Presidency in the event of the
death of the President.

Impeachment – Charge with misconduct in office before a tribunal.

Inauguration – Formal induction into an office.

Time required: Two 45 minute classes

Materials: Access to web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/

What Should a Good Vice President Look Like?
1. Have each student brainstorm a list of characteristics they believe a political
party should consider when selecting the running mate for a presidential
candidate. Before sharing their list with the class, each student should (1) rank
order their list and (2) highlight the top three requirements they believe political
parties should emphasize.
2. Lead a classroom discussion on what students believe those characteristics to
be. Encourage students to use information they have learned to argue for their
positions.
3. Ask students to apply their criteria to the current presidential campaigns by
selecting a vice presidential running mate for a major candidate. To defend their
selections, students should use historical and electoral (e.g., state populations
and electoral vote distribution) information.
Comparing Vice Presidents
There have been a number of vice presidents (examples: John Tyler, Millard
Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson,
Gerald Ford) who have become president in unusual circumstances. How did
each person become president?

Divide the class into groups. Each group should represent a different vice
president. Have each group find the information to complete the chart below for
their president. (Use http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ to help find
the information).
Have each group share their information with the other groups. What conclusions
do they draw about their particular Vice President? What similarities and
differences have they found? How does Harry Truman compare to each of the
Vice Presidents studied?


                        Your Group’s                           Truman
                        Vice President

Took over from
which president.
What happened to
the President?

Home state

Political position
held prior to being
elected vice
president

Personal
background and
family
circumstances

Delivered an
inaugural
address? yes/no

Impeachment
attempted? yes/no

Relationship with
the party that
elected him

Issues faced
during term as
president




Assessment: The list of criteria for a running mate and the chart comparing each
president should reflect the student’s mastery of the subject material.