2. Here’s the Situation…
• Approval of treaties falls under the responsibilities of the
Senate, according to our system of checks and balances.
• As a result, in July of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson
submitted the proposed Treaty of Versailles to the Senate
for approval.
• Senator Henry Cabot Lodge disliked the treaty and hoped
to kill public support for it, and consequently dragged out
the approval process as long as possible.
– Lodge also submitted a group of proposed amendments in an
attempt to make the treaty more acceptable to America, which
really meant ensuring American independence from the more
inconvenient portions of the treaty.
• The Senate broke down into 4 groups on the question of
ratification (approval) of the treaty:
3. Option Groups
• Option 1: Progressive Internationalists – Support
the Treaty as it Stands
• Option 2: Reservationists: Make Changes to the
Treaty
• Option 3: Irreconcilables: Reject the Treaty
• Undecided Senators: Senators who have not yet
decided how they will vote or how they feel.
Their votes are still “up for grabs” and will
ultimately decide whether or not the United
States ratifies the Treaty of Versailles to end
WWI.
4. Option Group Roles
• If you are part of an Option Group, your responsibility will be to
convince the undecided Senators that your option is the best choice for
America.
• Your group will be split into the following roles:
– 1 Group Director: Responsible for organizing the group presentation and
keeping everyone on track.
– 1-2 Domestic Political Director(s): Responsible for explaining why your
option is the best in light of how Americans at home feel and what is
happening in America (think about the anti-German sentiments, increasing
segregation, etc.)
– 1-2 International Political Expert(s): Responsible for explaining why your
option takes the U.S. in the best foreign policy direction (why it puts the
U.S. in the best global position moving forward into the future)
– 1-2 Military Expert(s): Responsible for explaining why your group’s option
is the best for security and military preparedness.
5. Option Group Responsibilities
• You will create a Google Slides presentation to help you sell
your option. All group members should have access to and
work on the presentation.
• Organize your presentation around the 6 guiding questions at
the bottom of the “Presenting Your Option” page
– Presentation should have approx. 7 slides (1 for each question, plus
1 title slide)
– Make your presentation visually appealing and easy to read – bullet
points are your friend!
• Each group member must contribute to the delivery of your
presentation.
• You must be prepared to respond to any questions asked by
the Undecided Senators – plan for possible questions
someone might ask your group.
6. Role of Undecided Senators
• As a group, you will work together to craft
questions that will push the Options Groups to
really justify and “sell” you on their position.
They will need to win your vote.
• During the presentations, you will have an
evaluation sheet to fill out. Then, you will
need to make your vote.
7. Responsibilities of Undecided Senators
• Individually, you will need to construct 2
questions for each group (total of 6
questions). You will turn these in to Mrs.
Armstrong.
• Then, as a group, examine everyone’s
questions and decide on 2 per group (total of
6) questions that you will definitely be asking
each group at the end of their presentation.
