Education Resources

Students should review the exhibit titled “President Clinton’s Trip to Africa, 1998” before completing any of the following assignments. Students may work individually or in groups.

Option One

Students should review this online exhibit and select a gift given to the President or First Lady by the leader of a foreign country. These gifts are referred to as foreign heads of state gifts.  Students should research the country of origin and answer the following questions. How does this gift represent the country? Does the gift say something about the country’s past, national symbols, or economy? Does the gift say something about policy issues in Africa in 1998? Policy issues can include the shared history of the United States and Africa, the environment, trade, and the empowerment of women.  Students should share their research with the class through multimedia presentations (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), websites, posters, or exhibit boards.

Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:

What gifts should students give to foreign leaders visiting their community? What does the students’ gift to the foreign leaders say about their community? Students should identify one or more gifts and make a multimedia presentation (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), website, poster, or exhibit board that illustrates what their gift to foreign leaders says about their community.

Option Two

Students should use the resources in this exhibit to learn about the origins of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (also known as AGOA or the African Trade Bill).  These resources can include President Clinton’s speech remarks, Samuel Berger’s talking points for remarks on Africa, April 13, 1998 (namely page 58), and digitized documents on the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Students give an oral report or complete a writing assignment that outlines how the Clinton administration gained support for passage of AGOA in 2000.  The outline may include points on the legislation’s objectives, US Congressional support, support from African leadership, and AGOA’s proposed impact on the peoples of Africa and the United States.

Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:

Students or teams conduct research into possible benefits of international trade in their own community. Students work together as a class to compile their ideas into a proposal on how to improve international trade locally and present it to city or county government officials.

Option Three

Students should review the archived website on  “President Clinton’s Trip to Africa”. The 1998 trip to Africa was the first time White House photographers covered a Presidential foreign trip on the Internet through digital photography. How does this archived website display and update the digital photographs from the President’s trip to Africa in 1998? How could the White House currently promote  Presidential foriegn trips with more recent advances in technology and media? Students give an oral report or complete a writing assignment answering these questions on the role of digital photography in the White House.

Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:

Students should present their results with the class through multimedia presentations (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), websites, posters, or exhibit boards.