Did Thomas Jefferson do enough?

Duration: 30-60 min
Overview

Countless documents demonstrate Jefferson’s view on slavery as an “abomination [that] must have an end”, and yet he possessed over 600 slaves in his lifetime; freeing only a handful. This is a DBQ (Document Based Question) geared towards students during their study of the Founding Fathers.  The focus is Thomas Jefferson and the conflict created between his attitude on natural rights of freedom and his ownership of slaves.

View and Download
View Lesson Plan     Download
Handouts (PDF Format)
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Jefferson to deWarville letter     View  |  Download
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Extract from Draft of Va Constitution     View  |  Download
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Extract from Jefferson to Coles     View  |  Download
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Record of Slaves from Farm Book     View  |  Download
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Runaway Slave Advertisement     View  |  Download
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Jefferson to Burwell - letter image     View  |  Download
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Jefferson to Burwell - letter transcription     View  |  Download
  • Did TJ Do Enough - Student questions and rubric     View  |  Download

Download All Materials
Grade Level

Elementary School, Middle School

Type of Lesson

Document Analysis

Interdisciplinary Connections

Civics, Language Arts

Author Info

Name: Kenneth A. Blum
Email: blum.kenneth@mail.fcboe.org
School: Oak Grove Elementary School
School Address (opt): 101 Crosstown Drive
City: Peachtree City
State: Georgia