Distance Learning
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- State Standards:
- PA State Standards 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4
What is Diplomacy? How can we seek peace and make the world a better place?
This program offers students a chance to explore how President Dwight Eisenhower used his beloved Gettysburg farm to conduct diplomacy during the Cold War. The program will share photographs, documents, and artifacts from Eisenhower National Historic Site to virtually bring students into the rooms with President Eisenhower and visiting world leaders. Gettysburg was the site of great conflict during the American Civil War; one hundred years later, in the 1950s and 1960s, Eisenhower used it for peace.
Theme
Conducting diplomacy is one of the president's most important jobs. President Eisenhower exemplified good leadership by using his own personal farm to get to know world leaders, improving the diplomatic relationship relationships of the United States and lowering tensions during the Cold War.
Essential Questions
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What is diplomacy?
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What was the Cold War?
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How did President Eisenhower conduct diplomacy during the Cold War?
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President Eisenhower believed Americans should be "main street diplomats." What does that mean?
Learning Objectives
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Understand and explain the context of the Cold War during Eisenhower's presidency
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Define the seven roles of the President of the United States
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Use primary sources to piece together a story from mutiple perspectives
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Analyze how President Eisenhower used his Gettysburg farm for diplomacy.
Grades
8 to 12
Length
45 minutes
How to Schedule
Email us to schedule this program. It is offered free of charge, though it is dependent on staff availability.
When contacting us, please provide the following:
- Name of your school
- Grade level of your students
- Approximately number of students
- What virtual program platform do you prefer (We use Microsoft Teams)
- Please provide suggested dates for scheduling the program, as well as times on those dates.
Pre-Program Activities
Eisenhower and his Gettysburg Farm
President Eisenhower and the world leaders he welcomed to his Gettysburg farm. Students should be familiar with President Eisenhower and his Gettysburg farm prior to the program. These online articles can provide background information on how Eisenhower used his farm, as well as important information on the visit of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
In The Footsteps of World Leaders Web Article: https://www.nps.gov/eise/learn/historyculture/in-the-footsteps-of-leaders-famous-visitors-to-the-eisenhowers-gettysburg-farm.htm
Biography of Nikita Khrushchev: https://www.nps.gov/people/nikita-khrushchev.htm
Khrushchev's Visit to Gettysburg
Of all the world leaders who visited President Eisenhower’s Gettysburg farm, the most impactful was Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who came to Pennsylvania in September 1959. The downloadable document below provides primary source accounts of Khrushchev’s visit to Gettysburg.
Have the students break into groups and assign each group one of these readings. They will guide the students through the details of Khrushchev’s visit to Gettysburg from the invitation and planning stages to how the visit was recalled by Khrushchev and other firsthand witnesses. Each reading has accompanying discussion questions as well.
Materials
Download Eisenhower's Diplomacy at Gettysburg Student Readings
Last updated: March 13, 2025