Bell Ringers

Bell Ringer: History of "Lame Duck" Congress

History of "Lame Duck" Congress

Matthew Mitchell talked about the history of lame-duck congresses. ** This clip is part of C-SPAN Classroom's FREE resources for teachers and students. Visit www.c-spanclassroom.org for more info. **

Description

Matthew Mitchell talked about the history, productivity, and significance of lame-duck congresses.

Bell Ringer Assignment

  • Where does the term “lame duck” originate? Describe how it applies to politicians.
  • Why does Mathew Mitchell refer to some “lame duck” Congresses as a “very lame duck” Congress. How does it differ from a typical “lame duck” session?
  • Explain the patterns that have emerged in past “lame duck” Congresses.
  • How do “lame duck sessions” affect members of Congress who have been reelected?
  • Describe the effect that “lame duck sessions” have with voting along party lines.

Additional Resource

Participants

Vocabulary

  • 20th Amendment
  • Congressional Session
  • Majority Party
  • Minority Party
  • Partisan
  • Retroactive
  • Roll Call Vote
  • “lame Duck”

Topics

AP U.S. Government Key TermsLegislative Branch

Grades

Middle SchoolHigh School