The Best Movies About U.S. Presidents to Show Your Students
The Best Movies About U.S. Presidents to Show Your Students
During the month of February, most teachers look forward to President’s Day because it’s a day off on the academic calendar! However, that doesn’t mean you can’t tie in some sort of academic content in reference to that specific day leading up to it. Social Studies lessons and reading biographies are one thing, but there’s a strong catalog of movies out there that are accurate in their retelling of the United States’ leading men. Showing movies about U.S. Presidents to your students and seeking comprehension along the way (or after) provides an alternate way of learning for those who may need it, and not only that, but what student doesn’t like to watch movies?
In this article, the movies chosen will be labeled with a specific classroom age, and if there is anything that could be deemed inappropriate. Make sure you have permission to show any of these films to your class. Cover those bases!
Middle School
Lincoln
Starting off with the most obvious choice, Lincoln is a fitting viewing for President’s Day, as not only is he one of the most memorable leaders of our country, but the holiday used to be referred to as “Washington – Lincoln Day.” Moving on, Lincoln is directed by the great Steven Spielberg and stars the now retired Daniel Day-Lewis as the titular president. The movie tells us about the ratifying of the 13th Amendment, a massively important historical moment. The film is a bit long (nearly 3 hours) so you may want to pick and choose scenes to present to students if that’s a better option.
Warm Springs
Warm Springs is a TV movie starring Kenneth Branagh, an actor who has experience in directing and starring in films about William Shakespeare’s work. In the movie, he plays President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who became president during the 1930’s. During the course of the film, President Roosevelt is diagnosed with polio and he goes to a resort in Warm Springs to become healthier. His experiences there are not forgotten, and he takes what he has learned and adapts it to his presidency nearly 10 years later. This film is not only is a good choice to show to students due to Roosevelt’s presence, but it also deals with the Great Depression, another cornerstone of American History.
Truman
Another TV movie, Truman, stars Gary Sinise (Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump) as the man who entered the White House after President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away. This movie serves as a great companion piece to Warm Springs, as it takes place right after. Much like Lincoln and Warm Springs, Truman focuses on the president and developments with the atomic bomb. This movie has earned many awards, so it’s a must watch, especially for its accuracy.
High School
The Butler
Not focusing on one actual president but several, The Butler deals with some of the most important events of American History in a film over 2 hours long. Butler Cecil Gaines (played by Forest Whitaker) attends to presidents for over 3 decades, among those being Dwight D. Eisenhower (played by Robin Williams), Richard Nixon (played by John Cusack), John F. Kennedy (played by James Marsden), Lyndon B. Johnson (played by Liev Schrieber), and Ronald Reagan (played by Alan Rickman). This all-star cast will definitely interest your classroom full of students, as aa lot of them are probably familiar faces. This film is definitely recommended, especially for all the historical moments that happen within the context of the movie.
Frost/Nixon
Based on a play of the same name, this movie reunites the stage actors Frank Langella (playing Richard Nixon) and Michael Sheen (playing David Frost), as Frost interviews Nixon on his talk show after the Watergate Scandal, and seeks a confession from him. The movie details the process of getting the interview to happen in the first place, and the aftermath of it all. While the “true story” aspect of this film is not 100% accurate, the underlying point of Nixon’s mistakes as president is on full record here, and serves as a strong viewing for students who knew nothing of the incident.
-Logan J. Fowler would like to thank Matthew Hedge for his help in movie research. Matthew is a fellow teacher who educates students about government and politics in New York City.
