Subject Areas |
History and Social Studies
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U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government |
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U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation |
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Time Required |
| Three 45-minute classes; one day for the brief introduction and beginning research, one full day for research only, and one day for the debate. |
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Skills |
| Online research
Debate
Oral presentation
Interpreting primary sources
Collaboration
Web citation and documentation |
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Additional Data |
| Date Created: 07/19/02 |
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Date Posted |
| 7/19/2002 |
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Jefferson vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men
IntroductionAt a dinner honoring Nobel Prize
winners from the Western Hemisphere, President John F. Kennedy paid homage to
Thomas Jefferson's wide-ranging interests and talents when he remarked, "I think
this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that
has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception
of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." Although the term 'Renaissance man' was not coined until the nineteenth century, Jefferson has become, for us, its exemplar.
Under different circumstances, President Kennedy
could have invoked Benjamin Franklin's name as well. If we compare his achievements
with Jefferson, Franklin would equally qualify as a Renaissance man. Yet
when one thinks of a Renaissance man from Colonial America, Jefferson invariably
comes to mind first. Was Jefferson simply the right age at the right time? Or
do his achievements justify his preeminent position? Has posterity given short
shrift to Dr. Franklin? Who would your students select as the undisputed champion
Renaissance man of the Founding Fathers? Note:
For additional activities comparing the achievements of Franklin and Jefferson,
see the complementary EDSITEment lesson plan Jefferson
vs. Franklin: Revolutionary Philosophers. Guiding Question:What
were the achievements of Franklin and Jefferson in their various fields of interest?
What connections existed between their shared thirst for knowledge and individual
political philosophies? Learning ObjectivesAfter
completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to: - List
a variety of interests and achievements of Franklin and Jefferson.
- Take
a position that one or the other's interests and achievements were more wide-ranging
or that they were equivalent.
Preparing to Teach
this Lesson - Review the lesson plan.
Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other useful websites. Download and
print out selected documents and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing.
- Download the two worksheets, Franklin
vs. Jefferson/Scoring Sheet for Debate, available here as a PDF file. Print
out and make an appropriate number of copies of any handouts you plan to use in
class. NOTE: If you choose not to use the Franklin versus Jefferson chart on p.
1 of the PDF file, prepare a master version of the chart (see Part
3 of the Suggested Activities section, below).
- Both
Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are famed for their wide-ranging interests
and achievements. How much do your students know about them? Students are probably
familiar with Franklin's electricity experiments and perhaps his spectacles, fireplace,
and Poor Richard's proverbs. Students are probably aware that Jefferson wrote
the Declaration of Independence and became President of the United States. This
activity has two purposes—familiarizing students with the amazing accomplishments
of these two important figures and seeing the connection between their thirst
for knowledge and their philosophical ideals. Freedom enhances one's ability to
acquire skills and information. People who want to learn, crave the freedom to
acquire the information they desire. An analogous example may be found in the
life of Frederick Douglass, who recognized at a very young age the power he gained
through the ability to read, a skill generally forbidden to enslaved Americans.
- Extensive sources of information for researching Franklin and Jefferson
are available online. The websites listed under Selected EDSITEment
Websites below, are of good quality and have very unobtrusive advertising
or none at all. To maintain quality, you could limit student browsing to sites
you have bookmarked, or, if you do not have adequate access to computers, you
can download hard copies of the information you want students to use. Since students
will be working in groups, you could manage this project with very few computers;
allow groups equal access to the available computers in turn. Encourage students
to use other sources from your classroom and school library.
- For further
reading, consult the Recommended
Reading List provided here as a PDF file.
Suggested
Activities
1 Begin by sharing
this quote from President Kennedy (and its context, as noted in the Introduction,
above): "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent,
of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with
the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." What
did President Kennedy mean? Tell students
that Jefferson is one of a number of important figures in the American Revolution
who had very wide-ranging interests. Ask them to hypothesize why an interest in
freedom and democracy and a thirst for knowledge are complementary ambitions.
Tell students that Benjamin Franklin is also known for his wide-ranging interests.
Brainstorm as a class the achievements of each man with which students are already
familiar; write the list on a chart to reflect on later. Explain
to students that the term "Renaissance man" is used to refer to someone like Jefferson
or Franklin who has knowledge in many fields. Are there any Renaissance men or
women in your class? Generally, Jefferson is cited, as in the Kennedy quote above,
as the greatest Renaissance man of the colonial period. Suggest that some people
believe Franklin has been underrated in this regard. The assignment for the class
is to prepare for a debate on the matter. Which Founding Father deserves to be
declared the undisputed champion Renaissance man?
2 Divide the
class into two groups—Franklin advocates and Jefferson advocates. Download, copy,
and distribute to each group the "Franklin versus Jefferson" chart on page 1 of
the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, above,
for download instructions). Within the groups, students, working alone or in pairs,
will be assigned primary responsibility for a particular field of endeavor (science,
for example). Since they will undoubtedly come across a variety of information
in their research, students who uncover relevant information about a different
field of endeavor should share it with the responsible party. Someone researching
science who learns something important about education should share that fact
with the appropriate student(s). Students assigned the "Other" category should
look for achievements in fields not specifically listed; there can be more than
one "Other" category. One student (or perhaps two) should serve as the chair of
the group. The assignments are as follows:
Franklin | Jefferson |
Economics Education
Inventing Public Service (National) Public Service (State and Local)
Science Writing Other | Architecture
Education Inventing Public Service (National) Public Service (State
and Local) Science Writing Other |
Students
can use the following EDSITEment resources to conduct their research. Before they
begin, make clear to the class your ground rules for computer use. Remind students
that they must make note of the sources from which they derive information. For
website citations, the URL and title should suffice, allowing students to refer
back to the site as needed. For downloaded information, refer to the document
name and source URL. Thomas Jefferson - Biographies
- Writings
By and About (all written in language of the period)
- Graphics (NOTE: Portraits of Jefferson are
also contained in the biographical sites cited above.)
Benjamin
Franklin - Biographies
- Writings
By and About (NOTE: Written in language of the period. Franklin's autobiography
is not overly difficult and often given as assigned reading—in whole or excerpted—for
study in biography in middle/high school classes. That said, only an ambitious
student would read the entire autobiography for this project.)
- Graphics
3
Once research is complete and the "competition" is set to begin, students should
assemble in their groups on either side of the room. Appoint or have the class
invite guests or students from the class who can be objective to serve as judges.
NOTE: Only the chair of each group can offer points from the group, though group
members should be able to consult with the chair as needed. Flip
a coin to see which group goes first. The chair of the first team names a field
of endeavor and specifies an achievement; the chair can suggest a field of endeavor
not on the chart, to be listed as an "Other." If the opposing team members can
offer an achievement in the same field of endeavor, they do so. If they cannot,
that area is closed. The judges decide if two achievements are equivalent, if
a suggestion deserves to be termed an achievement, and if an achievement truly
belongs in a newly established "Other" category. Achievements are then entered
in the appropriate place on a master version of the "Franklin versus Jefferson"
chart on page 1 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This
Lesson, above, for download instructions). Next, the second team offers an
achievement that the first team attempts to match. Competition continues until
achievements—or class time—are exhausted. If desired, the chart results can
be scored as follows (as an example): five points for any uncontested area of
achievement, one point for every unmatched achievement. An
alternative to the above is to conduct a conventional debate with teams taking
positions: Jefferson should be regarded as the champion Renaissance man; Franklin
should be regarded as the champion Renaissance man. The
structure of the debate could be as follows:
I.
| Opening Statements (Prepared ahead of
time.)
| II.
| Team #1 Argument (Offering specifics
to support the position. Prepared ahead of time.) Team #2 Argument
(Offering specifics to support the position. Prepared ahead of time.) | III.
| Team #1 Rebuttal (Team specifically
argues on the basis of the opposing team's argument. Give time for preparation
during the debate.) Team #2 Rebuttal (Team specifically argues on
the basis of the opposing team's argument. Give time for preparation during the
debate.) | IV.
| Q and A (Optional. Could be team-to-team
or from judges.) | V.
| Team #1 Closing Statement (A
summary specifying the strongest points explaining why "we" won the debate.)
Team #2 Closing Statement (A summary specifying the strongest points explaining
why "we" won the debate.) |
The
debate could be judged on a point basis, as shown on the "Scoring Sheet for Debate"
on page 2 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson,
above, for download instructions).
4 Look back at the list the
class brainstormed at the beginning of the lesson. Are students surprised by how
much more extensive their list would be now? Do they now feel more or less strongly
that an interest in freedom and democracy and a thirst for knowledge are complementary
ambitions? What would students point to in the lives of these men to support their
position? Extending the Lesson
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
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