George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen

Unit Overview

George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen consists of three lessons examining George Washington's leadership in the French and Indian War, at the Federal Convention, and as chief executive. They are based on primary source documents from George Washington Papers, 1741-1799. The lessons are intended for secondary students, grades 8-12. The documents from Washington's Letterbooks include focus questions that may be used in Socratic seminars, cooperative learning, individual and group work.

In preparation, teachers should review the on line documents and suggested readings accompanying each lesson to determine appropriateness for their students. Recognizing that eighteenth-century conventions of grammar, vocabulary, and spelling may be distracting, teachers may choose to read selected documents aloud, and/or use vocabulary building activities before reading. Students might also transcribe documents into contemporary English. Teachers may also wish to refer to Framework for Using Primary Sources with Students before beginning the unit.

Standards:

McREL 4th Edition Standards & Benchmarks

Civics
Standard 29. Understands the importance of political leaderships, public service, and a knowledgeable citizenry in American constitutional democracy

Historical Understanding
Standard 1. Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns
Standard 2. Understands the historical perspective

Language Arts
Standard 4. Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Standard 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

Unit Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Interpret primary source documents in historical context.
2. Explain the characteristics of good leadership.
3. Evaluate Washington's military leadership and his rise to a position of prominence in British America.
4. Explain the factors that led to the calling of the Federal Convention and evaluate Washington's role at the Convention.
5. Analyze how Washington as chief executive responded to issues confronting the United States.

Lessons

Lesson One: Honor and Passion for Glory: George Washington in the Ohio Valley

Lesson Two: The Happy Progress of Our Affairs: George Washington and the U.S. Constitution

Lesson Three: Integrity and Firmness is All I Can Promise: The Washington Presidency

Acknowledgements

The teaching unit, George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen, was developed and written by two teacher consultants to the National Digital Library Program at the Library of Congress. Kirk Ankeney is Vice Principal of Mira Mesa High School in San Diego, California. An advocate of teaching with primary source materials, Kirk was a focus group participant in the Educators Forum, July 1995, at the Library of Congress, and is also the author of teaching materials in support of Lincoln archival collections at The Huntington Library. David Vigilante is a consultant in history education and Assistant Director of the National Center for History in the Schools, UCLA. He is the author of many teaching units and guides using primary source materials on subjects such as Truman and the Korean War (for the New York Times Live from the Past series), Abraham Lincoln (for The Huntington Library), and the Evolution of the Bill of Rights (published by Regents, University of California, Los Angeles).