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Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy
(upper grades)
Two Lesson Plans
LESSON PLAN A: "Oodles of Money": JFK Challenges
ER
Background:
Students should be prepared to discuss the election of
1960. They should know who the other candidates are for
the Democratic nomination (Humphrey, Johnson, Stevenson)
and the Republican nomination (Richard Nixon). Spend a
few minutes discussing JFK's youth and political resume
to provide context for this discussion. Remind the students
that the young senator has not been tested as severely
as his leadership will be tested by the civil rights and
Cuban crises of his presidency.
Objectives:
- Students will learn to read and interpret primary documents
critically.
- Students will learn about the political styles and strengths
of two of America's most important leaders during the
1950s and early 1960s.
- Students will examine the issue of money in American
politics.
- Students will examine the issue of fair play in American
democracy.
Activity I: (Choose one of three options)
- Divide the class into small groups to discuss the questions
below, then ask each group to report back to the whole
class as a way of generating a wider discussion; or
- Ask the students to study the questions in small groups
or on their own and respond in writing; or
- Divide the class in two and ask them to use the questions
to prepare for a debate between a group taking ER's side
in the argument and a group taking JFK's side.
Handouts:
- Correspondence between JFK and ER of 12/11/58 through
1/29/59:
- JFK's letter to ER, December 11, 1958. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- ER's letter to JFK, December 18, 1958. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- JFK's letter to ER, December 29, 1958. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- ER's letter to JFK, January 6, 1959.
[ html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- JFK's letter to ER, January 10, 1959. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- ER's letter to JFK, January 20, 1959. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- JFK's letter to ER, January 22, 1959. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- ER's telegram to JFK, January 29, 1959. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- ER's My Day column for May 3, 1952. [
html ] [ acrobat
file ]
Questions:
- Why is JFK angry with ER?
- Do you think he is justified in being angry? Why or
why not?
- What specifically is JFK referring to when he says:
"I know of your long fight against the injudicious
use of false statements, rumors or innuendo as a means
of injuring the reputation of an individual"? Do
you think ER is guilty in this case of the practice against
which she has fought?
- JFK is not satisfied by ER's column of January 6, 1959
in which she quotes from his letter to her of December
29, 1958. Why isn't JFK satisfied? Do you agree with him?
Why or why not?
- In her letter of January 20, 1959, ER offers to write
another column. Why do you think JFK does not accept this
offer?
- How would you characterize JFK's strategy in appealing
to ER to substantiate or withdraw her charge? How would
you characterize ER's strategy in responding?
- What can you conclude about ER's influence and power
as a columnist and politician from this exchange?
- Do you agree with ER that "giving too lavishly
may seem to indicate a desire to influence through money"?
Cite a recent example in the press in which the spending
of private money in a political campaign was an issue.
- In her telegram of January 29, 1959, what is ER implying
by using the phrase "turn the other profile"
rather than "turn the other cheek"? Why is this
a pun? How would you describe ER's attitude toward JFK
throughout this exchange?
Activity II:
The issue of campaign financing remains a hotly debated
issue in American politics. Research either:
A recent campaign in which it has been an issue; or
A recent attempt to achieve passage of a campaign finance
reform bill in Congress.
Questions:
- Do you think the spending of a candidate's (or his family's)
fortune in a campaign should be limited?
- Do you think the amount of money a candidate can spend
from any source should be limited? Why or why not?
LESSON PLAN B: JFK's Visit to Val-Kill, August 15, 1960
Objectives
- To read and interpret primary documents critically.
- To examine the tensions within the 1960 presidential
election.
- To learn about the political power of the most significant
American woman of the twentieth century, how she wielded
it, and the dynamic of her relationship with JFK.
Background
The visit of JFK to ER at Val-Kill on August 15, 1960,
after he received the Democratic nomination for president,
is considered a critical meeting in JFK's drive to solidify
support for his election. ER had hoped that Adlai
Stevenson, whom she strongly supported for the presidency
in 1952 and 1956, would again be the Democratic nominee.
Mary Lasker, a good friend of ER's who worked for many
of the same political and social goals, was a Stevenson
loyalist, a Democratic Party activist, and a wealthy contributor
to Democratic candidates. Anna
Rosenberg was also a Stevenson loyalist. Chester Bowles,
who had been governor of Connecticut and ambassador to
India, was a friend and political ally of ER's. Bowles
planned to resign from Congress to work for JFK and hoped
to be given a role in a Kennedy administration. JFK appointed
him undersecretary of state after he was elected.
Activity (choose one of two options)
- Divide the class into small groups to discuss the questions
below, then ask each group to report back to the whole
class as a way of generating a wider discussion; or
- Ask the students to study the questions in small groups
or on their own and respond in writing,
Handouts
- ER's letter to JFK of August 16, 1960. [
html ]
[ acrobat
file ]
- ER's letter to Mary Lasker of August 15, 1960. [
html
] [ acrobat
file ]
- ER's My Day column of August 17, 1960. [
html ] [
acrobat file
]
- JFK's reply of August 26, 1960. [
html ]
[ acrobat
file ]
Questions
- Judging from ER's "My Day" column and the
exchange of letters between them after the meeting, what
were the important issues they discussed?
- What was JFK seeking from ER at the meeting? What was
she seeking from him?
- Why do you think ER is sharing her letter to Mary Lasker
with JFK? Would it have been more or less effective for
her to say what she says to Lasker directly to JFK? Why
or why not?
- What political skills does ER demonstrate in this exchange
of letters?
For more information see:
Allida Black, Casting Her Own Shadow: Eleanor Roosevelt
and the Shaping of Postwar Liberalism (Columbia University
Press, 1996), 177-199.
Lawrence Fuchs, "The Senator and the Lady," American
Heritage, 25 no. 6 (October 1974): 57-61, 81-83.
Prepared by John Sears and Allida Black
Teaching
Eleanor Roosevelt > Lesson Plans & Lecture Notes
This educational program was prepared by The
Eleanor Roosevelt Papers
with funding from the GE Fund through Save
America's Treasures.
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