Students will study the treaty process as it relates to presidential power. There will be a review of the treaty process, the Treaty of Versailles, and the Fourteen Points. Students will break down the Treaty of Versailles into pro and con arguments, reviewing primary documents from each side. They will then work together to come to a compromise, if one can be found. Students will end with a discussion about the reality of Wilson’s fight with Congress and the eventual result.
The rationale is to impress upon the students the importance of those examples of the check on presidential power which the case of the League of Nations does.
Explain how the treaty ratification process works within the federal government.
Understand why Woodrow Wilson supported the League of Nations and why Congress opposed the League of Nations
Analyze how the rejection of the League of Nations as part of the Treaty of Versailles was a check on the power of the presidency
MIssouri Department of Secondary and Elementary Education Social Studies Standards: T1.S2.A T3.S1.C and D T3.S4.B
I will review with the students the concepts of the different powers of the three branches of the government. Students will provide examples of what those powers look like in history. We will especially concentrate on the treaty process which will determine the fate of American involvement in the League of Nations. We will also review Wilson’s Fourteen Points to understand what Wilson hoped to accomplish during the Paris Peace Conference.
Students will look at the treaty process in depth by looking at the Treaty of Versailles and in particular the section with the League of Nations. As the students are going through the treaty- they will make a list of pros and cons from the perspectives of Wilson and Congress.
As a whole group the class will discuss the varying viewpoints of each side with regards to the treaty and the League of Nations- they will work through the strengths and weaknesses of each argument as well as points that will not be compromised on.
Assessment will be ongoing as the lesson progresses with various pauses for checks in comprehension.
At the end of the lesson there will be a writing activity requiring students to explain how this debate was an example of the checks and balances system laid out in the Constitution.