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
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