Notable Members

 

Overview

In this module you will be introduced to Members of Congress who have made significant contributions to the quality of life in America. More than 11,000 legislators have served in Congress, some of whom have gone on to become President of the United States. Some had quite interesting careers before becoming Members. Others, either by changing the system or working skillfully within it, were able to make lasting positive changes to the lives of all Americans. This module provides you with a broad overview of the dedicated Americans who have served the country since its founding.

 

This module has nine sections. Each self-contained section is described below. Depending on the amount of time you have available, you may view all nine sections, or you may choose to view only certain sections.

 

1. Introduction: This section describes what is included in this module and explains what you can expect to learn.
2. Members Who Became President: This section includes a game in which you will try to determine which U.S. Presidents first served in Congress. It also provides a description of what the Presidents worked on when they served in Congress.
3. Notable Accomplishments: This section describes laws that are associated with the names of particular Members of Congress.
4. Presidential Medal of Freedom: This section contains short biographies of Members of Congress who received a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
5. Members withInteresting Backgrounds: This section includes a game in which you will guess which backgrounds are real and which are bogus. It also includes short biographies of Members of Congress with interesting backgrounds.
6. Profiles in Courage: Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts describes the main ideas of President John F. Kennedy’s book, Profiles in Courage.
7. Troubled Terms: In this section you will learn about the kinds of activities for which Members of Congress have been disciplined by their colleagues, and you will be asked for your opinion on appropriate punishment for official misconduct.
8. Former Member Interviews: You will hear from former Members of Congress on which Members they particularly admired and why.
9. Exit and Summary: Lee Hamilton gives a concluding statement.

Navigating the E-Learning Module

Navigating this e-learning module is fairly intuitive. If needed, you may refer to the step-by-step instructions below. Once you begin this module, you will automatically progress through the Introduction. A menu will then pop up, and you can choose a section to work on.

Members Who Became President

The Introduction will automatically play. Click the arrow to begin. Click on the names of the

Presidents you think first served in Congress. A check will appear if you are correct. If the President did not serve in Congress, an X will appear. Click on LEARN MORE to proceed when you are done with the activity. A list of Presidents will appear. Click on a name of a President to learn more about what he worked on when he was in Congress. When you are finished, click on the menu and choose another section.

Notable Accomplishments

The Introduction will automatically play. Click the arrow to begin. Move the slider from left to right to move through time. Click on the act you would like to learn more about. A description of the act and two questions will appear. Answer each question. Then click on VISITORS’ OPINIONS to see how other viewers answered the questions. When you are finished looking at all the acts, click on the menu and choose another section.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

This section will automatically start and progress through each biography. At the end, you may replay any biography by clicking on its icon. When you are finished reading and listening to the biographies, click on the menu and choose another section.

Members with Interesting Backgrounds

The Introduction will automatically play. Click the arrow to begin. Click on the 30 backgrounds you think are real. If the background is real, a check will appear; if it is not real, an X will appear. Your total number of correct answers will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. You will automatically proceed to the next section when your total reaches 30. If you wish, you can also click on WHO ARE THEY? to proceed to the next section. Click on each background to learn more. When you are finished reading and listening about the different backgrounds, click on the menu and choose another section.

Profiles in Courage

The Introduction will automatically play. Click on the arrow to see Senator Edward Kennedy’s comments about the core themes of the book Profiles in Courage. When you are finished viewing his comments, click on the menu and choose another section.

Troubled Terms

The Introduction will automatically play. Click on the arrow to proceed to the next part of this section. Click on each example of misconduct. Then read about the Members in Congress who have engaged in this type of misconduct. You will need to scroll to view all the information. Once you have read all the information, answer the two questions. To see how other people responded to the questions, click on OTHER VISITORS’ OPINIONS. Click on BACK TO LIST or NEXT SUBJECT when you are ready to learn about other examples of misconduct. When you have viewed all the examples of misconduct, click on the menu and choose another section.

Former Member Interviews

Click on the name of each person to hear which Members of Congress he or she admired.

 

Helpful Hints

The Profiles in Courage section is more appropriate for high school students. If you are a high school teacher, you may want to obtain a copy of the book and have your students read portions of it.