Topic: Jefferson's Public Life & Politics
Lesson Plan
Unalienable Rights – Who Says?
How would different people (from different times) interpret an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence?Lesson Plan
Lewis and Clark: Explorers or Conquerors?
When Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from France, he commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore the new territory. What was the purpose behind this mission? Were they sent as explorers...Lesson Plan
Monticello: Thomas Jefferson’s Autobiography
What was Thomas Jefferson’s public persona and private personality? In this lesson students will use Monticello, Jefferson’s meticulously designed home, as a primary source in their analysis and eventual determination...Lesson Plan
Unconventional Enemies: Should the United States negotiate with terrorists?
This lesson plan helps students make connections between Thomas Jefferson’s handling of the Barbary Pirates and contemporary presidential actions toward unconventional enemies of the United States, including Jimmy Carter’s Iran...Lesson Plan
Jefferson & Washington: The Pursuit of Happiness
At the time of George Washington’s death in 1799, the relationship between ‘Founding Brothers’ Thomas Jefferson and George Washington had disintegrated, primarily as the result of a personal letter Thomas...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 of whether...
Article
Brief Biography of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson is famous for writing the Declaration of Independence and for being the third president of the United States. Jefferson had many other interests and identities. He loved architecture and designed his own house. He loved science and studied the natural world. He was a plantation owner. He was a father and grandfather to his large family. Jefferson lived a very long and full life.
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 their understanding...
Media › image
Thomas Jefferson
Copy of a portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale; copy by James L. Dick.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?