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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 Historical Understanding Language Arts
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Unit ObjectivesStudents will be able to:
Top of Page LessonsLesson One: Honor and Passion for Glory: George Washington in the Ohio ValleyLesson One demonstrates the way in which a young George Washington rose to military leadership and prominence in British America.
Lesson Two: The Happy Progress of Our Affairs: George Washington and the U.S. ConstitutionLesson Two examines Washington's leadership in urging the establishment of a government capable of securing the liberties won during the Revolution and his role in the Federal Convention.
Lesson Three: Integrity and Firmness is All I Can Promise: The Washington PresidencyLesson Three explores Washington's leadership as a head of state in dealing with both domestic and foreign policy issues.Top of Page AcknowledgementsThe 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).
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Last updated 09/26/2002 |