Course Description

The Executive Branch

FEE has partnered with Strata Academic Programs to bring you The Executive Branch. This course aims to introduce students to the powers and responsibilities of the President of the United States. You'll learn about the Founders' motives behind creating the Executive Branch by reading the Federalist Papers, and about how the Presidents who followed them have interpreted their authority by reading and listening to speeches from the Executives themselves.

The workshop is a two hour, self-paced learning experience with a focus on the powers of the Executive Branch. It uses primary historical documents and videos to explain the Presidency in a way that is entertaining and intellectually stimulating. This online course works wonderfully as a stand alone educational experience for those who want to learn on their own and as a resource for social studies teachers.


FEE Courses

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to The Executive Branch

    • Overview

    • Contents
  • 2

    Lesson One: Introduction to the Executive

    • The Commander in Chief

    • Article II of the U.S. Constitution

    • Term Limits

    • The 22nd Amendment
  • 3

    Lesson Two: The President and the Federalist Papers

    • Elections, Term Lengths, and the Energized Executive

    • Federalist 68

    • Federalist 70

    • Federalist 72

    • Reflection Questions
  • 4

    Lesson Three: Different Interpretations of Presidential Authority

    • The Institutional Presidency

    • First Inaugural Address of George Washington

    • The Outer Limits of the Institutional Presidency

    • First Inagural Address of Abraham Lincoln

    • The Rhetorical Presidency

    • First Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy

    • Course Summary

    • Additional Readings and Materials