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This Where Did Thomas Jefferson Stand on the Issue of Slavery? lesson plan also includes:
- Where Did Thomas Jefferson Stand on the Issue of Slavery? (.html)
- Resource Sheet #1: The Hook (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #2: Where Did Jefferson Stand on the Issue of Slavery? (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #3: Thomas Jefferson in the 'Declaration of Independence, 1776' (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #4: Slave Advertisement, 'Virginia Gazette' (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #5: A Letter from Jefferson to John Holmes (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #6: Ordinance for the Territory Northwest of the Ohio River (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #7: A Letter from Jefferson to William A. Burwell (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #8: Provisions Provided to Slaves, 'Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book' (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #9: A Letter from Jefferson to Edward Coles (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #10: Omitted portion of the Declaration of Independence (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #11: Drawing of a slave cabin (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #12: A Letter from Jefferson to Benjamin Banneker (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #13: Deed of Manumission fro Robert Hemings (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #14: Drawing of Slave Quarters from Monticellohttps://www.umbc.edu/che/tahlessons/pdf/historylabs/Where_Did_Thoma_student:_Resource_Sheet_14:.pdf (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #15: List of Slaves from Monticello (.pdf)
- Resource Sheet #16: From Jefferson's 'Notes on the State of Virginia' (.pdf)
- Activity
- Primary Source
- Vocabulary
- Answer Key
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Thomas Jefferson was a complicated man with a complex legacy. Middle schoolers examine a series of primary source documents to gather evidence for an essay in which they answer where Jefferson stood on the issue of slavery.
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CCSS:
Adaptable
Concepts
Instructional Ideas
- Begin the lesson by posting and getting reactions to Mark Anthony's line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "The Evil That Men Do Lives After Them; The Good is Oft Interred with their Bones"
Classroom Considerations
- The History Lab inquiry may take one to three days depending on the number of documents instructors choose to have class members examine
- Presumes a protocol has been established for a safe, respectful discussion of controversial issues
- Requires copies of multiple documents
- Presumes pupils have experience analyzing primary sources
Pros
- Includes a step-by-step lesson outline
- The background essay provides evidence of Jefferson's contradictory attitudes