Lesson Plans Eisenhower, Mamie

 

Eisenhower, Mamie
This is Important to Me!
For many years, men have given their fiancées rings to symbolize their future together.  When Ike and Mamie became engaged, he gave her a miniature copy of his West Point class ring, telling her that the Army and his country would always come first and that she was second.  Mamie understood this and accepted it.  And this was the story of their marriage.
Skill: Elementary School     Category: First Ladies' Lives

Eisenhower, Mamie
Little Golden Books
During the 1940s, the Little Golden Books provided an inexpensive way for parents to give their children attractive, colorful books.  These often provided the “bedtime story” in many households.  Perhaps Mamie read these to her grandchildren.
Skill: Elementary School     Category: Sports and Popular Culture

Eisenhower, Mamie
Rosa Parks, Reformer
The decision by Rosa Parks in 1955 to refuse to give up her seat on a public bus came only a year after the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision in Topeka, Kansas  was made by the Supreme Court.  Both of these events occurred during Ike’s first administration, and Mamie was surely aware of them.
Skill: Elementary School     Category: Religion, Social Issues and Reform

Eisenhower, Mamie
Duty, Honor, Country! Semper Fidelis! Semper Paratus! Uno ab alto!
The mottos of the four branches of the military and of the Coast Guard stress the values of each of the services.  Ike lived by the Army’s motto and expected Mamie to understand.
Skill: Middle School     Category: First Ladies' Lives

Eisenhower, Mamie
Let’s Play Cards!
While Ike was away, Mamie often played cards with other Army wives.  In fact, this was a favorite pastime in the 1940s and 1950s.  Very often, couples would entertain with “card parties” on Friday or Saturday evenings.
Skill: Middle School     Category: Sports and Popular Culture

Eisenhower, Mamie
Red Hunts, Black Lists, and Communists: Exploring the Politics of Fear
The 1950s were a period of fear in the United States about the presence of Communist infiltrators in government.  Sen. Joseph McCarthy headed committee meeting in Congress to attempt to identify members of the communist party in our government, in our economy, and in the entertainment industry.  Many people’s reputations were ruined and their lives made miserable by the unfounded accusations that were made.  Mamie Eisenhower refused to entertain Sen. McCarthy in the White House because she disagreed with the bullying tactics he used in the committee hearings.
Skill: High School/College     Category: Law, Politics and Govt

Eisenhower, Mamie
Computers: Big as a House, Small as an Envelope
The growth of computers can be measured in their shrinking size!  Their importance to modern life cannot be overestimated.  A computer has been the focus of evil (Hal in 2001:  A Space Odyssey) and of misunderstanding (Star Trek:  The Motion Picture).  The early development of computers took place during Mamie’s lifetime, and, in fact, an early computer called Univac correctly predicted the 1952 election results -- on live television-- that brought Dwight D. Eisenhower into the White House. 
Skill: High School/College     Category: Science, Medicine, Inventions and tech

Eisenhower, Mamie
Brown vs. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas: The beginning of an era
Perhaps no single Supreme Court decision of the 20th century had such far-reaching impact as this one.  It changed the fabric of American schooling and forever altered the composition of the public school classroom.  This decision occurred during Ike’s first administration.
Skill: High School/College     Category: Education, Arts, Letters and Ideas

Eisenhower, Mamie
Charge It!
The credit card had its beginnings in the 1950s during a period of unprecedented earning and wealth in the United States.  Mamie was a careful manager who, although raised in privileged circumstances, still knew the value of a dollar and could always save money.  Perhaps she had one of the early cards.
Skill: High School/College     Category: Economics, Discovery and Daily Life

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