4H3 - Attack on Capitol, Trump's impeachment

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

What is happening in Washington?

English class,  15 January 2021

What happened on the 6th of January in Washington, D.C.?
Write down all you know.

Central questions

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to answer the following questions:

• Why was the Capitol attacked on the 6th of January?
• Why is president Trump blamed for the attack?
• How does the attack play into Trump's recent impeachment?
• What will be the effect of impeachment on president Trump?
• What will be the effect of impeachment on president-elect Biden?

On the next slide, you'll find an overview of the 2020-2021 electoral timeline. Study it carefully, and pay extra attention to the events between December 14 and January 6.

Assignment

Read the information on the following slide, then watch the video and answer the questions in detail and in your own words.

January 6

The U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives (438 members) and the Senate (100 members)) comes together to certify the election results. The electors of each state have previously sent a certificate to Congress which contains their votes. In the joint session of Congress, vice president Mike Pence reads out each certificate and the official electoral votes are counted. Members of Congress can object to the results. If this happens and there is enough support, the objection will be followed by a debate and votes on objection. If the vote on objection is successful (majority in both chambers), that state's vote is tossed out. 

* certify = bevestigen; *joint = gezamenlijk; *object = bezwaar aantekenen

00:14

Why had Congress come together on January 6? Explain in your own words.

00:49

How can Trump's words be considered an incitement to storm the Capitol?

01:33

What does the narrator mean with 'other events in D.C. this summer?'

03:14

What were the members of Congress told to do?

04:41

Why do you think Biden and other elected officials called on president Trump, specifically?

05:35

Was Congress able to certify the votes?

1. Yes
2. No

Assignment

In the days following the storming of the Capitol, many politicians publicly declared that they wanted Trump to be removed from office before the end of this term on the 20th of January, as they blamed him for the attack on the Capitol. There were two ways to achieve this:

- Invoking the 25th Amendment

- Impeachment

What is the 25th Amendment, and whast does it mean to invoke it?

What is impeachment, and how does the procedure work?
(Look it up on the Internet and write a short summary)

Impeachment

On Wednesday 13 January, the House of Representatives formally changed president Trump with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the riot the week before. He now faces trial in the Senate, which will take place after he leaves office on 20 January. 2/3rd of the Senators need to vote for conviction or else Trump is acquitted. 

(This is how he survived impeachment in December 2019)

Why would the House of Representatives impeach a president who has only one week left in office?

With only one week left in office, impeachment doesn't really have the aim of removing president Trump from office. The aims of impeachment are more indirect:

• setting precedent: letting it be known that no president can lead an insurrection against the US government
• preventing president Trump from seeking reelection in 2024;

Assignment

On the next slide is a drag question with some difficult words from an article that you will read after. 

After the question, read the article and answer the questions. 

ignominious

forward

incite

implications

allegiance

instigate

vociferously

adversaries

embolden

grapple

dishonorable

send

urge on

 possible significance

loyalty

provoke

loudly and repeatedly

enemies

give courage

struggle

https:

Why is it ironic that Trump has been impeached twice in his term, according to the article?

How is this impeachment different from the previous one, according to the article?

According to the article, what choice do the Republicans have now?

What will be the effect of impeachment on president Biden be, according to the article? Explain in your own words.

You're nearing the end of this lesson. What will follow are two questions to show what you have learnt today about the events in Washington over the last few days. 

How does the attack on the Capitol play into Trump's recent impeachment?

What will be the effect of impeachment on president Trump and president-elect Biden?