Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's Communicator - a web-based e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to enhance civic education and improve the understanding of Congress - http://www.webcommunicator.org/.

The International Association of Web Masters and Designers (I.A.W.M.D.) -- http://www.iawmd.com -- presented Congress for Kids, The Dirksen Center's Web site for students, with the Golden Web Award 2002-2003. The I.A.W.M.D. recognized Congress for Kids for incorporating high standards of design, originality, and content. Congress for Kids gives students access to interactive, fun-filled experiences designed to help them learn about the foundation of our federal government and how its actions affect them. The award can be found at: http://www.congressforkids.net/awards.htm.

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NEWS FROM THE DIRKSEN CENTER
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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: Congress in the Classroom 2002

SESSIONS ANNOUNCED

The Dirksen Congressional Center, in cooperation with Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, invites applications for participation in Congress in the Classroom® 2002, a national, award-winning education program now in its tenth year. Congress in the Classroom® is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching about Congress. It is designed for secondary school teachers and junior and community college faculty who teach U.S. history, government civics, political science, or social studies.

The 2002 program theme will be Congress and Public Policy. Individual sessions and presenters that will be offered include:

• Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL), The Public Policy Achievements and Disappointments of the 107th Congress
  
  
• Michael Eichberg, Science Policy Fellow, American Chemical Society, Science Policy in the 107th Congress: Stem Cell and Cloning Research Contrasted with Bioterrorism Policy
  
  
• Jay Farrar and Moira Whelan, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Emerging National Security Issues
  
  
• Dan Fouts, Maine West High School (Des Plaines, IL), MindUniversity: An Internet Teaching Tool
  
  
• Steve Frantzich, Professor of Political Science, U.S. Naval Academy, Coalition Building in Congress
  
  
• Pamela S. Katz, Associate Professor of Legal Studies, The Sage Colleges, Separation of Powers: Another Victim of September 11?
  
  
• Cindy Koeppel and Frank Mackaman, The Dirksen Congressional Center, The Dirksen Center's Web Suite: A Resource for the Classroom. Participants will gain experience with The Center's educational Web site, CongressLink -- http://www.congresslink.org/ -- [features online access to lesson plans, student activities, historical materials, related Web sites, and subject matter experts]
  
  
• D. Eric Schansberg, Professor of Economics, Indiana University (New Albany), Public Choice Economics: Understanding the Intersection Between Economic and Political Markets
  
  
• Steven E. Schier, Professor of Political Science, Carleton College, What Young People Ought to Know about Congress but Probably Don't
  
  
• George Southworth, Associate Director, Public Affairs, National Association of Manufacturers, Congressional Insight: A Computer Simulation of a Member's First Term in the House of Representatives
  
  
• Loren Yager, Director, International Affairs and Trade Issues, U.S. General Accounting Office, Trade Policy: Exploring Global Pressures, Domestic Interests, and Partisan Politics
  
  
• Best Practices for Teaching About Congress and Government [demonstrations by participating teachers of effective lesson plans and teaching strategies]

The workshop will be held July 29 - August 1, 2002, on the campus of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Congress in the Classroom® is free to participants. The deadline for application is April 17, 2002.

You can learn more about Congress in the Classroom® at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm. If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom® 2002 workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at: (http://www.dirksencenter.org/CiCapplication.htm).

Making Foreign Policy

The president and Congress have a role in foreign policy under the Constitution. Specific powers have been given to each and both have assumed additional authority over time or by relying on other constitutional responsibilities.

The president is responsible for negotiating treaties, appointing ambassadors to represent the United States overseas, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Presidents have used their power as head of the military to involve the nation in numerous conflicts overseas without formal declaration of war by Congress. They have found other ways to get around constitutionally dictated constraints on their ability to set the direction of American foreign policy. Executive agreements negotiated with another head of state do not require Senate approval, even though the agreements are effective only during the term of the president who made them. Presidents also have access to optional funds. Military and diplomatic initiatives can be, and have been, financed using these funds. As a rule, Presidents rely on special envoys to carry out negotiations with other countries.

Being the leader of a nation is a tough job. Suppose you assume some of the duties of the president of the United States, have to select your top advisors, balance the budget, field questions from reporters, and read what the press has to say about your decisions? If you were president, how would you run the country? To find out about some of the important decisions that you would have to make, register on our site for kids -- Congress for Kids -- http://www.congressforkids.net/. Play the online game -- If You Were President -- http://www.congressforkids.net/games/executivebranch/2_executivebranch.htm#. After you are finished playing the game, you will receive a report on your progress.

The constitutional function of Congress in the realm of foreign policy is basically to act as a check on presidential power. Only Congress can declare war. The Senate must approve all treaties. The Senate must also confirm the president's nominees for diplomatic and cabinet positions. Through its appropriations and oversight functions, Congress has additional authority. The operations of foreign policy must be funded, as must all government programs. Congress can cut or increase foreign aid or the budget for a defense project. The length of time American troops are deployed during an international crisis can be also be restricted by Congress which can refuse to pay for them beyond a certain date.

The question arises, "When should Congress legislate intervention in world affairs?" Begin addressing this question by having your students analyze Senator Everett Dirksen's radio-television broadcast, Then and Now. After he was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1950, Everett Dirksen began to broadcast weekly radio and television programs to his constituents in Illinois. The selection Then and Now aired during the week of November 6, 1967. Download this selection at:
http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/MEDforeignpolicy.html#thenandnow. After reading the selection, ask your students respond to the following questions:

1. What event in history is the Senator addressing?
2. What were the interests of the United States in this event?
3. Did Senator Dirksen believe the United States should play a role in this event? If not, why? If so, what does he believe the United States do?

Freedom of action of the president in foreign policy has been limited by the powers of Congress. The 1973 War Powers Act is an example. The act's effectiveness has been questioned. It was vetoed by President Nixon and was often opposed by many of his successors. Still, the support of Congress was sought by President George Bush before the Persian Gulf War, and by President Bill Clinton to send troops to Somalia and Bosnia.

Teachers, to help your students understand the sharing of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches in war-making, visit our featured CongressLink lesson plan, War-Making: The Use of a Congressional Power. Students will locate the sections of the Constitution -- http://www.congresslink.org/resourc.html -- related to war-making powers. They will critique the current process for war-making as stated in the Constitution and construct a new and improved process through which the U.S. would declare war or take military action. Students will also gain an insight into the events surrounding the declaration of war in 1941 and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. Download this lesson at: http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/WarMaking.html.

Who else plays a role in setting the foreign policy agenda for the country? The print and broadcast media do. This month our featured About Government "hot link" is a Web site of resourceful links to political news and other related Web sites, including news channels, quick reads, U.S. politics, commentary, state politics, domestic affairs, international affairs, economic affairs, and media affairs. Visit Taegan Goddard's Political Wire at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/newsandguides.htm.

How would you like to research a Web site that documents congressional actions during times of crisis? Suppose this Web site included Wilson's declaration of war in 1917, Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech, Truman's Berlin Crisis and Korean War speeches, Johnson's Gulf of Tonkin incident, Bush's Kuwait Crisis, and the "Attack on America." David Silbergeld from the Department of Social Science and History at Luzerne County Community College in Pennsylvania, received a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grant of $4,500 to produce a project entitled 20th Century Congressional Action During Periods of National Crisis. His master Web site will also include PowerPoint presentations for teachers, text files of the major speeches, legislation, and historical documents, links to resources on the Web, scenarios for student role-playing, and lesson plans and supporting materials. To learn more about this project and others, visit: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm#2001.

Visit CongressLink's "Information Center" to find information about legislation related to the attack of September 11, 2001, Attack on America. This information includes (1) bills and joint resolutions signed into law, (2) other resolutions approved, (3) legislation with floor action, and (4) legislation without floor action. Find this legislative information at: http://www.congresslink.org/informationcenter.html.

Federating Foreign Policy Fun

Which act requires the president to get congressional approval if American troops are to be on foreign soil for 60 days or more? (Link to answer and definition: http://www.congresslink.org/glossary.html#W)

1. Voting Rights Act of 1965
2. War Powers Act of 1973
3. Federal Election Campaign Act
4. Hatch Act

True or False: Promises made by the president to other nations that do not require Senate approval and are not binding on future administrations are called "special envoys."

Answers to January' s issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia link here: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia0102ans.htm.

We're finished for February! If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact Cindy Koeppel at ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org. Your feedback makes a difference! Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the Communicator.