Module 5
Class Activity #5
American Presidency
March 6-March 26, 2024
Name: ___________________
1. The class activity #5 sheet is available in Doc Sharing under Module 5. You can
download and save this activity sheet in the form of MS-Word to your computer.
2. Complete your activity in MS-Word, create your file using your last name (i.e.,
Choi_activity5.docx), and submit your form to the proper submission folder. If you do not
complete the self-assessment in a Microsoft Word document, you will get a 0 on the
activity.
The activity is about great presidents and Obama presidency. It is required to complete
two activities in this module.
Activity #5-1: Great Presidents
What makes a great/successful president? What factors help to determine presidential
greatness? Why do scholars agree on the greatness of early presidents more often than
on that of modern presidents? Who are the “great” presidents? There have been three
Schlesinger polls in which historians and political scientists rate presidents. A
discussion of the source and criteria for these rankings could make us think how one
judges a president. Here are the results of the three Schlesinger polls. These results,
along with recent results, are also available in pp. 426-427 in our textbook.
1948 1962 1996
Great Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln
Washington Washington FD Roosevelt
FD Roosevelt FD Roosevelt Washington
Wilson Wilson
Jefferson Jefferson
Jackson
Near Great T. Roosevelt Jackson Jefferson
Cleveland T. Roosevelt Jackson
J. Adams Polk Wilson
Polk Truman T. Roosevelt
Average JQ Adams Madison Eisenhower
Monroe JQ Adams LB Johnson
Hayes Hayes Kennedy
Madison McKinley J. Adams
Van Buren Taft Cleveland
Taft Van Buren McKinley
Arthur Monroe Madison
McKinley Hoover Monroe
1
A. Johnson Harrison Reagan
Hoover Arthur JQ Adams
Harrison Eisenhower Carter
Clinton
Van Buren
GHW Bush
Taft
Hayes
Arthur
Harrison
Ford
Sub-Average Tyler Taylor Coolidge
Coolidge Tyler Tyler
Fillmore Filmore Taylor
Taylor Cooldige Fillmore
Buchanan Pierce
Pierce Buchanan
Failure Grant Grant Hoover
Harding Harding Nixon
Pierce
A. Johnson
Grant
Buchanan
[Note: In the 1996 poll, 32 jurors cast votes. The rankings listed here were determined
by calculating the total score for each president using the following:
Great = 4;
Near Great = 3;
Average = 2;
Below Average = 1, and
Failure = 0.]
Q 1-1. List ten characteristics (i.e., charisma or vision) that you believe most important
in making (or being) a great president.
1. _______
2. _______
3. _______
4. _______
5. _______
6. _______
7. _______
8. _______
9. _______
10. _______
2
Q 1-2. Recent six presidents except for the incumbent are Ronald Reagan (1981-1988),
George H. W. Bush (1989-1992), Bill Clinton (1993-2000), George W. Bush (2001-
2008), Barack Obama (2009-2016), and Donald Trump (2017-2020). Where do you
think these presidents will rank (Great, Near Great, Average, Below Average, and
Failure) compared to previous presidents shown in the table above? Why?
Your
President Why?
Rank
Ronald Reagan
George H. W.
Bush
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Q 1-3. Is it more accurate to say that presidents adapt to the critical events that happen
during their time in power, or are they more likely to significantly influence the events
themselves? In other words, does history make the president, or does the president
make history? (You are required to write 100-150 words).
Activity #5-2: Biden Presidency
A cottage industry of scholars, most notably James David Barber and Fred Greenstein,
have argued about the importance of exploring the psychology of the presidency as a
means of either understanding (Greenstein) or even predicting (Barber) presidential
performance. For Barber, the most important aspects of presidential personality are the
presidents’ life orientation (positive or negative) and their energy level (active or
passive). Barber argues that these deep-seated preferences, developed in a president’s
youth, affects how well a president does in the Oval Office. Barber argues that “active-
positive” presidents are the best while “active-negative” (like Richard Nixon) are the
most dangerous. Some scholars critique Barber’s perspective as too simplistic, others
critique which presidents he places in which personality categories. Fred Greenstein
argues that there are six major factors that make up what he calls “the presidential
difference.” They are a president’s cognitive style, emotional intelligence,
communication skills, vision, political skills, and organizational capacity. These are not
elements that predict performance before one is elected, but rather a way to understand
the events that occurred during a particular administration.
Q 2-1. How would you characterize President Biden’s presidency? Use Barber’s
classification of the personalities (activity-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, and
passive-negative). Why do you classify President Biden as that personality? (You are
required to write 100-150 words).
3
Q 2-2. Has President Biden been a successful or a disappointing president? Justify your
answer and summarize your opinion and rationale. (You are required to write 100-150
words).
> Your activity results should be submitted in Microsoft Word.
> The activity instructions are available in Doc Sharing under Module 5.
> Use the submission folder to upload your activity results.
Worth 14 points
Due: By 11:30 PM on Tuesday, March 26, 2024
