NEH LANDMARKS WORKSHOP: All Men are Created Equal? Thomas Jefferson & Community Life at Monticello and the University of Virginia
What were the key What were Teacher How did aspects of bios Lesson Ideas Jefferson’s the key space define public aspects of Jefferson’s family? Jefferson’s relationship private with his family? “family”?
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Name of Museum Teacher bios
Mary Bailey: Teaches 9th grade English in Virginia. She is a teacher-consultant for the National Writing Project, author of a historical fiction/time travel novel, and an avid hiker/camper with her family.
Victoria Berger: Teaches Special Education in New York City. She enjoys learning more about historical events and different perspectives throughout history. She enjoys traveling, seeing broadway shows, and spending time with friends and family.
Zharmile’ Ford: Teaches 7th grade Civics and 8th grade U.S. History in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is her 17th year in the field of education. She considers herself a lifelong learner and enjoys her family, reading and swimming.
Joe Haber: Teaches at Horizon Middle School at Osceola County in Kissimmee, Florida. This is his third year teaching. He teaches Civics and is a fellow of the Justice Teaching Institute with the Florida Supreme Court.
Alexandra Kilhoffer: Teaches 9th and 10th grade English in rural Kansas, where she lives with her husband of eight years.
Marianne Santo: Teaches social studies at Hillview Middle School in Menlo Park, CA. She enjoys traveling and sharing her experiences (and photos) with her students.
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Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Lindsey Warneka under the direction of Dr. Christy Keeler during a Teaching American History grant module. View the Educational Virtual Museums website for more information on this instructional technique. Artifact 2
Name of Museum Public Family (official/white)
Jefferson’s Model Treatment Public of a of Jefferson’s Family Republican Family Public Family
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http://www.firstladies.org/images/biographies/jefferson/11.jpg
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Name of Museum Private Family (unofficial/enslaved)
Jefferson’s Treatment of Jefferson’s Responsibility Jefferson’s Private as Private Family Patriarch Family
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Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemmings
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Family and Space
What were Where did the divisions Jefferson’s Where did Jefferson’s of space public family private family live? within live? Jefferson’s family?
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https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/s
ale-books-library-congress-1815
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How can this information and resources be used in the classroom?
Grades Grades Grades K-5 6-8 9-12
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Photo courtesy of V. Berger
Artifact 13 Artifact Public Family ResourcesName of Museum
● Information about Martha Jefferson (wife): http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladie s.aspx?biography=3 ● Letter to James Madison where Jefferson explains the upcoming marriage of his daughter and his familial responsibilities: http://founders.archives.gov/?q=Jefferson%20 daughters%20Author%3A%22Jefferson%2C %20Thomas%22&s=1511311112&r=27 ● Correspondence from Martha to her father discussing smallpox, household needs, and how one of the slaves is doing: http://founders.archives.gov/?q=Jefferson%20 %20%20my%20people%20%20%20servants %20%20%20Hemmings&s=1511311112&r=1
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● “The family, knitted together by tender attachments, would constitute the bedrock of republican society” (11).
● Jefferson believed the new republic should directly reflect the Republican Family Republican Nation ideals of a pure and virtuous family. His Patriarch of the family Small, independent farms “concept of national character was grounded in his idea about the purity and White family States perfectibility of family life and domesticity” (10). (Enslaved/Others)/Not part of “ideal” family National Republic
(Gordon-Reed, Annette, and Peter Onuf. Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of Imagination. New York: Liveright, 2016. Print) Back to Room 1 Treatment of PublicName ofFamily Museum Resources
● Letter from Martha to Jefferson, where she explains that his sister lacks the “head” or “weight of character” to function as one of the female managers at Monticello. The slaves don’t respect her authority, and female managers needed to be respected: Source ● In a letter, Jefferson charged his female relative to open a line of credit for the benefit of his widowed sister (Anne Marks), to enable her to purchase luxuries and clothing. - Emilie Johnson, NEH Lecture July 25, 2016. ● Jefferson to his granddaughter, showing he took an interest in her activities and oversaw aspects of her education. He mentions the condition of her silkworm colony and addresses the volume of didactic juvenile fiction he sent: Source
Jefferson’s personal study, which his family was seldom allowed to enter.
On the left is a re-created version of Aunt Marks’ room. Sources Back to Room 1 Name of Museum Private Family Resources
● Virginia Historical Society: Source ● DNA Report linking Jefferson to Sally’s children: Source ● Link on Jefferson’s life with Sally Hemings: Source ● “The house servants were Betty Brown, Sally, Critta, and Betty Hemings, Nance, and Ursula. They were old family servants, and great favorites. They were in the room when Mrs. Jefferson died.” -- Edmund Bacon, Source ● DAACs is an archaeological database with access to millions of artifacts from plantations throughout the south and the Caribbean. Monticello provided artifacts for this site: http://daacsrc.org/homepage/query_objects_two_results
Jefferson called his slaves with this bell. Photo by Mary Bailey John and Priscilla Hemmings were able to afford small luxuries, such A medicine jar as this box. brought from Paris, Photo by M. Bailey found near Sally’s Mulberry Row cabin Source Back to Room 2 Responsibility as NamePatriarch of Museum Resources
● Jefferson used the word family to include both those connected by blood and those under his household including workmen, overseers, and slaves. - Lucia Stanton, Those Who Labor for my Happiness ● Jefferson saw families as the basis of a republic. Families form townships, which form states, which form nations. - Peter Onuf, Lecture July 24, 2016 ● Jefferson explains that he wants to keep slave families together: http://founders.archives.gov/?q=%20Author%3A%22Jefferson%2C%20Thomas%22%20f amilies%20together%20purchase&s=2511311112&sa=&r=39&sr= ● Jefferson explains in a letter that he is a “blessed patriarch”: http://founders.archives.gov/?q=%20Author%3A%22Jefferson%2C%20Thomas%22%20 patriarch&s=2511311112&sa=&r=4&sr=
Annette Gordon Reed and Peter Onuf discuss Jefferson’s role as patriarch at Monticello plantation. Photo courtesy of J. Haber Back to Room 2 Treatment of PrivateName of MuseumFamily Resources
● Letter from Jefferson to his overseer, Edmund Bacon, instructing him that one of his slave relatives requires no direct supervision, but simply needs to be found when needed: http://founders.archives.gov/?q=Author%3A%22Jefferson%2C%20Thomas%22%20Dates-From%3A1807- 05-13%20Dates-To%3A1807-05-13&s=2511311112&r=1& Photo courtesy of J. Haber ● Jefferson receives a letter detailing the mistreatment of one of his slave relatives: http://founders.archives.gov/?q=Dates-From%3A1 804-11-01%20Dates-To%3A1804-11-30%20Reci pient%3A%22Jefferson%2C%20Thomas%22&s= 2511311112&sa=&r=105&sr=
● Annette Gordon Reed speaks of the need for better scholarship about Jefferson’s slave blood relatives.
Back to Room 2 Where Public FamilyName of LivedMuseum Resources
● Martha Jefferson discusses Jefferson’s long absence: http://founders.archives.go v/?q=%20Recipient%3A% 22Jefferson%2C%20Tho mas%22%20father%20au nt&s=2511311122&sa=&r =7&sr=
● Picture of Monticello, Jefferson’s home, located at the Monticello Museum. Photo courtesy of Z. Ford
● Cross section of Monticello showing rooms at Monticello ● Floor plan of Monticello at the Museum. Photo courtesy of Z. Monticello Museum showing Ford Jefferson’s separation of his space from family space. Photo courtesy of Z. Ford Back to Room 3 Where Private FamilyName of Museum Lived Resources
● Thomas Jefferson’s private family lived on his plantation at Monticello.
Useful Links: ● https://www.monticello.org/mulberry-row ● https://www.monticello.org/site/plantation-and-slavery ● https://scodpub.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/monticello-mountain.jpg ● https://www.monticello.org/slavery-at-monticello/enslaved-families-monticello/hemings-family
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● According to Elizabeth V. Chew, the author of ● Enslaved people and white servants Inhabiting the Great Man’s Space: Women and Space lived around Monticello on Mulberry In Monticello, Thomas Jefferson carefully separated Row. himself from the offical family members at Monticello. Overview of Mulberry Row
Phases of Enslaved People Mulberry Row of Mulberry Row ● Virtual Tour - Encyclopedia Virginia has a virtual tour of Monticello. Follow directions ● Learn more about the design and on the website: creation of Monticello by clicking http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/ here: Monticello
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Teacher Monticello.org http://www.vtshome.org resources to find Click here out more about For KIDS! Create discussions Thomas around images by Virginia Historical Jefferson & using VTS. See website Society provides Monticello: for a full description. image resources to UVA Teacher use in the classroom: Resource Links Use images from Worksheet Monticello Images Resources & Jefferson's Family
Ask & point out student noticings: a. What’s going on in this picture? b. What do you see that makes you say that? c. What more can we find?
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● Debate: Select two primary source documents that your students will read such as those found on the section labeled Treatment of private family. Ask a question that has two answers or positions that are possible. An example would be, “Did Jefferson take good care of his slave family? They will need to use evidence from the primary sources to support their arguments. Save time for a reflection at the end of the lesson.
● Draw a political cartoon: Have each student pick one of the topics explored in this presentation. Students will use computers and read through all resources and watch all videos. Then they will draw a political cartoon with captions to illustrate the ideas presented.
● Make a timeline: Divide your class into groups of four. Each group will take posterboard and create a large timeline. Students will look through the primary source documents contained in this resource and order them on the timeline. An example would be November 26, 1804: Thomas Jefferson receives a letter detailing the abuses of one of his slaves (a relative). Students can illustrate the timeline to make the events visual.
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● Research: Have students use primary sources to gather information about Jefferson and his family. Create a research project based on information discovered.
● Write: Allow students to research a particular member of Jefferson’s family, then write several diary entries or letters from that family member.
● Create: Ask students to create a visual that represent the differences between Jefferson’s “ideal” family and the reality of the public and private families he had.
● Discuss: Discuss the role Jefferson’s family played in his ability and inability to uphold the very values he penned in the Declaration of Independence.
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