Developed in consultation with top historians
and educational games experts, Brief the Chief gives
students insight into American history by teaching them how
Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Lyndon B. Johnson navigated complicated
governing situations.
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- iCivics, the
nation's leading civic education nonprofit, and the White House
Historical Association today launched Brief the Chief, a new
digital game that teaches students how the President of
the United States makes difficult
governing decisions, providing insight into how presidents rely on
an array of advisors to make tough judgment calls.
The game positions students as trusted advisors to the
president, challenging them to consult with a variety of sources
and confidants within the White House and use evidence-based
reasoning to give counsel on a number of different situations.
Students advise Jefferson as he determines whether he should
continue trade with independent Haiti in 1804 amid tensions with France; Lincoln as he contemplates the
Emancipation Proclamation; and Johnson as he decides if he should
run for another term as president.
Along the way, students have conversations with likely sources
such as secretaries of state, military advisors, and foreign
diplomats. They also speak with historical figures such as civil
rights leader Amelia Boynton, First
Lady Mary Lincoln's dressmaker
Elizabeth Keckly, the Johnsons' personal cook Zephyr Wright, and
Haitian leader Jean Jacques
Dessalines.
The game is available for free at
icivics.org/games/brief-chief
Brief the Chief continues a growing partnership
between iCivics and the White House Historical Association. In
2023, iCivics and the Association released a Spanish-language
version of Executive Command, one of iCivics' most popular
games that teaches students how the Executive Branch functions.
Brief the Chief includes English Language Learner support
and is available in Spanish.
To play the game and learn more, visit
icivics.org/games/brief-chief.
About iCivics
iCivics is the nation's
premier civic education nonprofit, working to ensure that the
practice of constitutional democracy is learned by each new
generation. iCivics works to support high-quality civic education
in the classroom through instructional materials, professional
development, and bipartisan policy work that makes high-quality
civic education a nationwide priority. Founded in 2009 by Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics is
currently used by up to 145,000 educators and 9 million students
annually. All of its resources are free, nonpartisan, and available
online at icivics.org.
About The White Historical Association
The White
House Historical Association was founded in 1961 by First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy to support her
vision to restore and preserve the Executive Mansion and its legacy
for generations to come. Mrs. Kennedy sought to inspire Americans,
especially children, to explore and engage with American history
and its presidents. Supported entirely by private resources, the
Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has
contributed more than $115 million to
the White House in fulfillment of its mission. To learn more about
the White House Historical Association, please visit
WhiteHouseHistory.org.
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SOURCE The White House Historical Association