Topic: Ideas & Ideologies
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Rough Draft of Declaration of Independence
On July 2, 1776, Jefferson presented his draft of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress. In the document’s powerful preamble, he stated that “all men” had...
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Notes on the State of Virginia
This document is an excerpt of Thomas Jefferson’s only book-length publication. Jefferson wrote the work during the early 1780s in response to a series of questions from Frenchman...
Lesson Plan
Did Thomas Jefferson do enough?
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...Lesson Plan
The Election of 1800: Revolutionary Stability
This lesson is a combination of a few different approaches: students will study primary writings of Jefferson and Adams, examine a range of online documents and images in...Lesson Plan
Unalienable Rights – Who Says?
How would different people (from different times) interpret an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence?Lesson Plan
Hashtag- What Would Thomas Jefferson’s Instagram Stream Reveal about Him?
A person’s online social media presence can reveal a great deal about his or her interests, political views, and personality. In this lesson, students will analyze a number...Lesson Plan
Protecting that Ball of Liberty: Comparing Jeffersonian and Wilsonian Views Of Democracy In the World
Students will compare the foreign policy of both Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson by completing a comparison chart. The chart requires students to recall background context, find examples...Lesson Plan
Revise and Finalize: The Declaration of Independence from the Rough Draft to the Final Copy
This lesson focuses on comparing Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence with the final copy. Examining the creation of the Declaration of Independence will deepen...
Article
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Thomas Jefferson wanted his tombstone to list the “things that he had given the people.” It reads: “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of Independence of The Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom And Father of the University of Virginia.” Why did Jefferson want the Statute for Religious Freedom on his tombstone?
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