The Following Activities Explore Former US President George Washington’S Relationship to Sunderland
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The following activities explore former US President George Washington’s relationship to Sunderland. Slide 1: Roots • The slide shows a photograph of Washington Old Hall as it stands today. Washington Old Hall is a former Manor House where George Washington’s ancestors lived over 800 years ago. Washington Old Hall is situated in the old village of Washington, that extended to Washington New Town in 1964 and which now forms part of the city of Sunderland. • Washington Old Hall and the surrounding gardens are now owned by The National Trust. The Old Hall is a fascinating 17th Century Manor House full of interesting memorabilia related to the life and times of George Washington. Activity: Visit and Volunteer • Arrange a school visit to Washington Old Hall and Gardens. The public have free access to the beautiful formal garden and ‘Nuttery’ wildlife garden, check the website for access and further information to organise your visit: - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/washington-old-hall/ • The National Trust, Washington Old Hall has a very active group of ‘Friends’ and volunteers. - Why do people volunteer to help organisations such as The National Trust? • Would you like to volunteer somewhere? How do you think you could help? Slide 2:The Washington Family Begins • George Washington became the fi rst President of the United States of America in 1789. Although he was born in America his family roots are English. Read Appendix 1 of this document to learn more about the history of his family. • Slide 2 shows a recent entry in Washington Old Hall’s visitors book. The entry is signed by one of George Washington’s relations who visited the Old Hall from America. The Hall receives many visits from Americans eager to learn more about their British ancestry. Page 1 of 10 Historic Links Although George Washington was not interested in his ancestry, “ I have no solicitude to trace our ancestry’ …..it is of ‘very little moment’,” ancestral connections mean that Washington DC and Washington Sunderland have historical links dating back to 1183. Activity: Family Tree • Research your ‘family tree’ and find out about your relatives and ancestors. Ask your grandparents and great-grandparents if they can remember other members of the family. Make a diagram of your family tree. You may wish to design it as a tree with branches and roots. - Why do we use the term ‘family tree’? - How far back can you trace your family? Slide 3: Coat of Arms • The slide shows George’s family’s ancient ‘coat of arms’. When George Washington became President some people think that he incorporated his coat of arms into the American flag but it is certain that the family Coat of Arms was used to create the Washington DC flag. - Do you think that the coat of arms bears any similarity to the American flag? Activity:Coat of Arms • Design your own ‘coat of arms’. You can include any object or real or mythical creatures such as a dragon, griffon, phoenix or unicorn that you think represents your family. Perhaps you might like to also include something that is important to you, such as a football, skateboard or a musical instrument? • Use your coat of arms to design a flag that might fly over your residential home! Slide 4: Mount Vernon • Slide 4 shows Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. • George Washington was born on his father’s slave plantation, Bridges Creek, Virginia in 1732. George was only 11 years old when his father died. He already owned 11 slaves at a time when slavery was at its height. On his death George Washington directly owned more than 124 slaves (more than 300 worked on his plantation but the remainder were owned by his wife Martha). • Mount Vernon is a very grand estate. Page 2 of 10 - What would it be like to live at Mount Vernon? - Research what Mount Vernon looks like today. Does anyone - still live there? Slide 5: A Good Citizen “Young George received basic schooling, fi rst from the town sexton and then from Mr Williams, who observed his keenness for mathematics and measuring things. He was described as plain and practical. Always displaying neatness and accuracy he copied hundreds of documents such as bonds, deeds and legal papers. At the age of 14 he was set a task to copy Francis Hawkins’ ‘Youths Behaviour, or Decency in Conversation Amongst Men’. George went one step further by updating it! The rules focus on self-respect and respect for others through details of etiquette. He aimed to always live by these rules.” Information taken from interpretation documents at Washington Old Hall Activity: Rules Read the rules on the slide. Discuss each one in turn. • Are the rules valid today? • Why do we need rules to live by? • Write your own list of 10 rules that you think would make ‘a good citizen’ in today’s modern world. Unlike his father, brothers and many other young American men of his age, George Washington did not travel to England to fi nish his schooling. Instead his formative years were spent surveying Virginia, learning to manage the land, the slaves who worked the land and learning the art of war. Slide 6 and 7: Mount Vernon Plantation • The painting on Slide 6 shows slaves working in the fi elds at Mount Vernon. - Do you think the painting is a true representation of the life of a slave? • The etching on slide 7 shows a well-dressed plantation owner visiting the slaves. - Do you think this more or less realistic than the painting? • Look at the painting and etching closely and make observations about what you can see. Discuss. Page 3 of 10 Slide 8: Conversations • The slide shows George Washington outside his house at Mount Vernon. Look closely at the slide. - Can you see any slaves? • George Washington believed that the American people should be free from governance by Britain. He fought as a General in the successful ‘War of Independence’ which gained America freedom from Britain. However once the war was won he realised that although Americans were now free, American slaves had no freedom at all. Although George believed this was morally unjust and unfair, as President of America, he felt unable to make a political stand in pressing for freedom for slaves. • George Washington also felt it was important to unify the ‘states’ of America on the subject of freedom for slaves. The southern states in particular felt different from the northern states as they had much more to lose economically if slaves were freed. • In a letter in 1786 he states. - ‘I never mean (unless some particular circumstance should compel me to it) to possess another slave by purchase; it being among my first wishes to see some plan adopted, by which slavery in this country may be abolished by slow, sure, and imperceptible degrees.’ • The information above gives you background on the type of things George Washington may have discussed with his friends and family. Activity: Role-play Conversations • Look closely at the slide. Set up a role-play scenario in groups of seven. Decide which character you are and sit or stand exactly as the group in the painting. Copy the poses of each character. • Imagine the conversations that are taking place. When someone instructs you, start your conversation. • Write your conversations into speech bubbles and attach them to the characters on the slide. Page 4 of 10 Slide 9: Will and Testament ‘All the slaves which I hold in my own right shall receive their freedom’ • One of George’s most trusted slaves was William Lee. William went to war with General Washington and was put in charge of his most important papers, serving at Washington’s side throughout the War of Independance. At Mount Vernon William Lee worked as his personal valet and accompanied his ‘master’ on fox hunts and was said to be a wonderful horseman. • There is no record of who the slave is in this painting of George Washington. - Do you think the painting on the slide shows George Washington with William Lee? - The painting is on display at Washington Old Hall. • William fell and broke his knee whilst in George’s service, leaving him disabled. Several years later he fell and broke his other knee which meant he was no longer able to work as George’s valet. For the remainder of his life William worked as a shoemaker at Mount Vernon. • George Washington did not forget about William and in his will he made arrangements to free him, provide clothes and food and a $30 a year allowance (a lot of money at that time). William died around 1828 and was buried in the slave burial ground at Mount Vernon. - What relationship do you think George Washington had with his ‘slave’ William Lee? • The slide also shows part of George Washington’s Will, written in his own hand. In his Will, George asked that all the ‘enslaved persons’ he personally ‘owned’ be freed upon the death of his wife. By law, this excluded those belonging to his wife Martha. • George Washington’s Will contains instructions for the care and education of all his former slaves, also providing support and training for all of their children and care for the elderly slaves. • In George Washington Will he freed his own slaves on the death of his wife. She extended that freedom to also included all her slaves. • Martha freed all the slaves two years following her husband’s death in 1881. Activity: Imagine and Write • Imagine you are a plantation owner who believes in the freedom of slaves.