Jefferson PEN-PAL PRESIDENTS HOW TO WRITE 2 LETTERS AT ONCE
HE MADE CENTS OF THE Life, DOLLAR Lib ty and the p suit of Happiness
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Jefferson_FC.indd 1 3/15/17 5:34 PM 2 the new U.S. government. In 1800, he was The Remarkable Jefferson e ected our countr s third resident Thomas Jefferson was a man of countless But during his 83 years, Jefferson was talents and countless interests. many other things too. He was a farmer, a Best known for the many ways he served lawyer, a lawmaker, an architect, an inven- his country, Jefferson was one of the found- tor, an archaeologist, and a musician. He ers of the United States. He wrote our na- en o ed stud in weather, ants, human tion s first and erha s most famous docu- and animal bones, and fossils. He could ment the ec aration of nde endence read books in seven different languages. He He served as governor of his home state of was also a loving son, brother, husband, fa- ir inia e tra e ed to rance to re resent ther, and grandfather. Thomas Jefferson thought of himself as an ordinary man. Was he ordinary, or was he extraordinary? Judge for yourself as you read further.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
THOMAS JEFFERSON
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l THE NATION’S capital, Washing- ton, D.C., is home to this well-known memorial to Jeffer- son. A memorial is something made to remind us of a per- u DURING HIS son or event. Here, lifetime, Jeffer- a 19-foot-high son’s face was a bronze statue of popular image on Jefferson stands in plates and pitch- the middle of a ers. People who Greek-style temple admired him and overlooking the his politics bought Tidal Basin off the them to show they Potomac River. The agreed with his building honors the views. Shown here u THIS PICTURE OF Greek and Roman is some of the chi- Jefferson hangs in architecture that na (dishes) Jeffer- the White House. It Jefferson admired. son used in the was painted by He helped make White House. Rembrandt Peale both types of ar- in 1800 and is one chitecture popular of the most ad- in the United mired portraits of States. Jefferson. u WANT A GOOD son’s face on one look at Thomas side of the nickel AT MOUNT RUSHMORE, Jefferson? His face coin and his be- in the Black Hills of may be closer than loved home, Monti- South Dakota, Jef- you think. In 1938, cello, on the other. ferson’s face can the U.S. govern- be seen from miles ment put Jeffer- away. Along with the faces of three other presidents, it was carved out of granite with jack- hammers and dy- namite by sculptor Gutzon Borglum. He started in 1927 and worked on the project for 14 years. Borglum died when the sculpture was al- most complete. His son, Lincoln, fi n- ished the work in 1941.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
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his early years exploring the world around Jefferson’s Early Life him, often with his older sister Jane. Both From an early age, Thomas Jefferson were smart, lively, and curious. In all, Tom lived by this advice, which he later gave to had fi e sisters and one rother is fa his daughter: “It is wonderful how much ther, eter efferson, was a se f educated may be done if we are always doing.”* farmer and sur e or is mother, ane Even as a young boy, Tom Jefferson was Randolph Jefferson, was the daughter of “always doing.” wealthy Virginia landowners. Young Tom Born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, sometimes went with his father on sur e his family’s farm in Virginia, Tom spent ing trips. As Peter worked, Tom learned to
EARLY LIFE
u AT SHADWELL, u IN 1757, TOM’S Tom’s oldest sister, father died, at age Jane, was his fa- 49. He left several vorite playmate. thousand acres of But she was more land, more than 60 than that. Because enslaved people, and the family was so many horses, cattle, large, she was giv- and hogs. He also en the responsibili- left Tom his 40 ty of looking after books. They included him. Jane’s death a Bible, a prayer at age 25 was a book, a history of terrible loss for England, and the Tom. works of William Shakespeare.
u TOM STUDIED AT teacher. Tom spent this schoolhouse in hours practicing Tuckahoe, 15 miles his penmanship, from Shadwell. dipping his quill Later, he had a tu- pen into a small tor, or private ink bottle.
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COLLEGE LIFE l WILLIAMSBURG survey, or map and measure, the land. was the capital of the colony of Vir- When Tom was 14 years old, his father ginia. When Jeffer- died. As the oldest son, Tom became son started college head of the household. In 1760, he there, it had just 300 houses. Al- moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, to at- though fewer than tend the College of William and Mary. 2,000 people lived there, Williamsburg is fi rst months there were fi ed more was the largest with fun than with study. But in time he city Tom had ever became a serious, hardworking student seen. who made just about every minute count. r WHEN TOM *Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Martha Jefferson, May 1787. From The Jefferson Cyclopedia, arrived at the Col- edited by John P. Foley. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1900. lege of William and Mary, he became AS A BOY, TOM KEPT bloomed. He also very social right records of the nat- noted the migra- away. He went to ural world around tions of birds. Lat- fox hunts, horse him. In his Garden er, he began keep- races, plays, and Book, he made ing records of balls at the Raleigh having fun. Howev- alize that he had daily notes on the every planting of Tavern. He even er, on a visit home, been wasting too temperature and seeds and all the joined a secret so- a conversation much time. Soon when different trees and bushes ciety called the Flat with his best after, Tom settled wildfl owers on his farm. Hat Club. It was friend, Dabney down. He became devoted entirely to Carr, made Tom re- a serious student.
l TOM WAS A GOOD singer. He also was an expert violinist. When he was at college, the gover- nor of the Virginia colony, Francis Fauquier, often in- vited Tom to his home for musical evenings. POST-COLLEGE LIFE r ON NEW YEAR’S at Monticello. One d AFTER GRADUATING Day, 1772, when thing the couple from college in he was 29 years shared was a love 1762, Tom decided old, Jefferson mar- of music. Martha to stay in Williams- ried a young wid- often played the burg. He studied in ow, Martha Wayles harpsichord while the law offi ce of Skelton. He Jefferson played his friend George brought her to live his violin. Wythe. Five years later, he took an exam and began MARRIED LIFE practicing law. l THE COUPLE HAD known as Maria. one son and fi ve As often happened daughters. But only at the time, the two of their chil- Jefferson children dren lived to adult- died of such com- hood: Martha (left), mon childhood ill- who was called nesses as whoop- Patsy, and Mary, ing cough. who was later
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IN HIS CABINET, JEFFERSON OFTEN ATE pictures of the 34 or study, Jefferson his breakfast in American heroes wrote letters and what he called the he most admired. conducted science tea room. He said it Among them were experiments. When was his “most George Washing- W EAVER he was serving as honorable suite.” ton, Benjamin ’S C president of the That’s because it Franklin, and John OTTAGE United States, he contained busts or Paul Jones. MULBERRY ROW E u THIS SKETCH BY did some of his Jefferson shows work there, too. his original plan for Monticello. After living in Paris from 1784 to 1789, Jef- ferson decided to enlarge his eight- NSLAVED room house. By the W time he was fin- ORKERS ished, Monticello P’
had 33 rooms and AID W a dome on top. ORKERS S ’
TOREHOUSE ON THE SOUTH END and book room, or of the first floor, library. Jefferson’s N Jefferson had sev- library contained eral rooms where nearly 7,000 even his family books. Many of was rarely allowed. them were about These included his law, history, and
bedroom, study, government. AILERY B Monticello Jefferson once said, “Architecture is my delight, and put- LACKSMITH ting up and pulling down one of my favorite amuse- ’S S ments.”* As we shall see, he really meant it. HOP
u MORE THAN 100 knew that enslav- Jefferson spent 40 years building and rebuilding his enslaved Africans ing another human home. He named it Monticello (mon-ti-CHEL-oh), which lived on the planta- being was terribly tion and did most wrong, and he in Italian means “little mountain.” Monticello was built on of the work at fought to bring the the top of a small mountain near Jefferson’s birthplace. Monticello. Person- African slave trade Jefferson began work on Monticello in 1768. He didn’t ally, Jefferson felt to an end. Yet he great conflict over failed to fully act stop until a few years before his death. He was always think- the issue of slav- on his beliefs. He ing of new ways to improve his home. Although he had no ery. He once called did not free the formal training in architecture, he taught himself how to slavery the “wolf.” people he held in “We have the wolf slavery, because design a house and how to draw up plans for one. Then he by the ears,” he he and his family hired expert craftspeople to build his house, and he super- said, “and we can relied on their la- vised their work. Jefferson used his creative talents on the neither hold him, bor to run Monti- nor safely let him cello. inside of the house as well. He designed furniture, clocks, go. Justice is in and curtains. He was an innovator – someone who comes one scale and self- *From The Jefferson Cyclopedia, edited by John up with new ideas. He took objects that already existed – preservation the P. Foley. New York: Funk & other.”* Jefferson Wagnalls, 1900. like a chair, a clock, and a ladder – and made them better. *From The Jefferson Cyclopedia, edited by John P. Foley. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1900.
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W EAVER ’S C OTTAGE MULBERRY ROW E
RCHARD O
NSLAVED H W OUSE ORKERS P’
AID W ORKERS HOUSE S ’
TOREHOUSE
N
AILERY B
LACKSMITH
’S S HOP u JEFFERSON greeted his guests in the entrance hall. This was an informal museum. The items on dis- ENSLAVED WORKERS They helped build play included elk at Monticello farmed Monticello. They antlers, part of a the land, weeded the also worked in the buffalo skull, and gardens, cooked the 20 buildings that In his will, the stuffed head of meals, and cleaned lined the dirt road Jefferson freed a bighorn sheep. the main house. Ma- known as Mulberry just five enslaved ny of them were Row. These build- people. Although skilled craftspeople. ings included a he spoke out stable and a car- against slavery, he failed to free r JOHN HEMINGS, penter’s shop. an enslaved wood- There were also the people he worker, built this smokehouses, held in slavery chair. Its style is where meat was during his life- called Campeche, cured and tobacco time. What do you sometimes spelled leaves were dried. think this says “Campeachy.” about the man?
Jefferson_6-7.indd 7 3/15/17 5:39 PM 8 Important Events during Jefferson’s Lifetime Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743. At that time, Virginia was one of 13 colonies that were part of the land claimed by Britain in North America. In 1781, the colonies won the Revolu- u 1775 r 1776 On April 19, • In Common tionary War. That freed them from British rule. Patriots and British Sense, Thomas Over the next several decades, the new nation soldiers clash at Paine calls for inde- stru ed to fi nd the est form of o ernment t Lexington and pendence from Concord, Massa- Great Britain. also struggled to make a place for itself among chusetts. The • Thomas Jefferson the older, more powerful nations of the world. Revolutionary War writes the Declara- Jefferson lived to see his country grow strong. begins. tion of Indepen- Here are some of the highlights – great and small dence. – of his presidency and his lifetime. d 1777 The fi rst national l 1752 fl ag is approved. During a thunder- storm, Benjamin Franklin fl ies a kite with a metal key at- tached. He shows that lightning is a form of electricity.
u 1775 Daniel Boone, a frontiersman, trav- els the Wilderness Road. It runs from d1756 eastern Virginia to A stagecoach route the Kentucky River links Philadelphia and in present-day New York City. Kentucky. Boone’s journey helps open the West for set- u 1781 tlers. The British surrender to the Americans at Yorktown, Virginia, ending the American Revolution.
r 1765 ple hated it. This pic- • The British govern- ture shows a stamp ment passes the collector being tarred Stamp Act. It requires and feathered. American colonists to • Chocolate is made r 1782 pay a tax to Britain on in North America for The bald eagle a variety of papers the fi rst time, in Mas- becomes the and documents. Peo- sachusetts. national bird.
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d 1804 The Lewis and Clark expedition d 1789 begins its journey George Washington to fi nd a route to is elected the fi rst the Pacifi c coast. president of the u 1793 United States. Jean-Pierre-Fran- u 1797 u 1799 d 1812 çois Blanchard be- • John Adams is George Washington The United comes the fi rst per- elected the second is taken ill after rid- States fi ghts son to fl y a hot-air president of the ing horseback Great Britain in balloon in the U.S. United States. through a snow- the War of Jefferson and • Thomas Jefferson storm. He dies from 1812. The is- Washington watch serves as vice a throat infection at sues include Blanchard lift off in president under his Mount Vernon trade and Brit- Philadelphia. John Adams. home. ish interference Blanchard carries a on the Ameri- note from President can frontier. Washington. The note explains who he is, so people won’t be frightened by his appearance from the sky. u 1797 John Chapman be- d 1793 gins planting apple u 1800 Eli Whitney invents seeds all across the Thomas Jefferson the cotton gin. One Ohio Valley. People is elected third of these hand- nickname him president of the cranked machines Johnny Appleseed. United States. can remove the seeds from 50 u 1806 pounds of cotton in l 1800 Streetlights, pow- u 1825 u 1790 a day. It is a major Benjamin Water- ered by coal gas, The Erie Canal, be- The fi rst U.S. cen- development of the house successfully are introduced in tween Albany and sus – or population American Industrial vaccinates his son Newport, Rhode Is- Buffalo, New York, count – records Revolution. against smallpox. land. is completed. 3,929,214 Ameri- cans.
u 1807 u 1803 Robert Fulton’s The U.S. govern- steamship, the r 1796 ment pays France Clermont, travels The fi rst elephant for the land that up the Hudson Riv- arrives in the Unit- stretches from the er from New York to ed States. It is Mississippi River to Albany. Its top brought from Africa the Rocky Moun- speed is fi ve miles and exhibited by tains. The Louisiana per hour. sea captain Jacob Purchase nearly Crowninshield of doubles the na- u 1826 Salem, Massachu- tion’s size. Thomas Jefferson setts. dies at his home, Monticello, on July 4.
Jefferson_8-9.indd 9 3/15/17 5:41 PM 8 Jefferson’s Inventions Jefferson made use of his creative talents while building and furnish- ing Monticello. Here are some of his innovations.
r THIS COMFORTABLE chair has a writing table attached to it.
u JEFFERSON’S cannonball clock gave the date and the time of day. As the clock ticked, cannonball weights u THIS DEVICE descended past allowed Jefferson markers on the to make a copy of wall. They showed every letter as he the days of the wrote. When he week. wrote a letter with one pen, the other pen automatically copied it.
l JEFFERSON designed this tiny elevator, called a dumbwaiter. It car- ried bottles up to the dining room from the basement.
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After Jefferson retired, he returned to his Monticello home. He showed his feelings about retired life in this 1811 letter to a friend:
“But though an old man, I am a young gar- dener. . . . I have often thought that if heaven had given me a choice of my position and calling, it should have been on a rich spot of earth, well watered and near a good market for the production of the garden.”*
*Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Charles Peale, 1811. From Thomas Jefferson: Landscape Architect by Francis Nichols and Ralph Griswold. University of Virginia Press, 1978.
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ON JUNE 7, 1776, Serving His Country Richard Henry Lee, another delegate to the Second Conti- nental Congress, in War and Peace proposed that the colonies declare “We hold these truths to be their independence self-evident, that all men from Britain. The Congress chose a are created equal.” These committee to draft a are some of the most fa- declaration of inde- mous words in U.S. history, pendence. Jefferson was one of five peo- u JEFFERSON HAD and Thomas Jefferson ple picked. The oth- thought about gov- wrote them. ers included John ernment and hu- Adams and Benja- man rights for These words are part of min Franklin. The years. He drew on the Declaration of Indepen- committee members the views of the dence. In this document, recognized Jeffer- 17th-century Eng- son’s talent. They lish thinker John Jefferson stated all the rea- chose him to be the Locke (above). sons the American colo- main author. Jeffer- Locke wrote that nists wanted independence son sat down at a no person had the portable writing right to harm an- from Great Britain. He also desk he had de- other’s health, lib- did something even more signed and began to erty, or posses- important: He expressed in write. It took him 17 sions. days and many powerful and new language drafts to write the d JEFFERSON FIRST his ideas about human Declaration of Inde- held public office in rights and liberty. The Dec- pendence. 1769, when he en- tered the Virginia aration was the first officia legislature, called document to say that all the House of Bur- people had the right to the gesses. Many of the lawmakers were be- “pursuit of happiness.” It ginning to speak out also stated that it was the against Britain. They felt that the British government’s job to protect laws and taxes on this right, and the rights to the American colo- both life and liberty. nies were unfair. Just a few years lat- er, Jefferson would be at the center of l WHEN JEFFERSON church). At that the action. He helped was a member of time in Virginia, ev- fight the American the Virginia state eryone had to pay Revolution with a legislature, he taxes to support pen instead of a wrote a law called the Anglican sword. the Virginia Statute church, whether for Religious Free- they belonged to it dom. He fought to or not. Jefferson get the law felt that the gov- passed. It stopped ernment should not the use of tax promote any single money to support religion – or sup- the Church of Eng- port religion at all. land (or Anglican
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u IN THIS FAMOUS dence to the presi- painting, Jefferson dent of the Second hands the fi rst Continental Con- draft of the Decla- gress, John Han- ration of Indepen- cock (seated).
r IN THE EARLY weeks of July 1776, Americans every- where celebrated the adoption, on July 4, of the Declaration of Independence. They lit bonfi res and rang bells. They also held parades. In New York City, crowds tore down a statue of Britain’s King George III.
r LATER IN 1776, Jefferson returned to the Virginia leg- islature. He was elected to a one- year term as gov- ernor of Virginia in 1779 and reelected to a second, one- year term in 1780. While Jefferson was governor, the American Revolu- tion was still being capital and headed fought. In 1781, for Monticello. Brit- British troops land- ish soldiers came ed near Richmond, after him, but he l BY JUNE 1775, Virginia’s capital. escaped. the American colo- Jefferson left the nies were at war with Britain. In Philadelphia, Jefferson was a delegate – or repre- sentative – to the Second Continental u JEFFERSON NOT helped decide what Congress. The Con- only made sense, coins the new na- gress was called to he made cents. In tion would have. make plans to as- 1783, he returned Jefferson suggest- semble an army and to the Continental ed using the silver purchase supplies Congress as one of dollar and breaking for it. Virginia’s represen- it up into 100 parts, tatives. There, he or cents.
Jefferson_12-13.indd 13 3/15/17 5:46 PM 14 dent’s cabinet is made up of his closest ad- Jefferson’s Presidency visers. Each oversees a different depart- By the time the American Revolution end- ment of the government. As secretary of ed, Thomas Jefferson was well known and state, Jefferson spoke for the U.S. in deal- respected. Many of the new nation’s lead- ings with other countries. ers asked for his advice. They sent Jeffer- After two terms, Washington stepped son to Paris to represent the United States. down as president. Jefferson’s supporters Six years later, in 1790, President George wanted him to run for the offi ce, so he did, Washington picked Jefferson to be one of challenging his friend John Adams for the the four members of his cabinet. A presi- nation’s top job. Losing to Adams, Jeffer-
d HERE, SECRETARY of State Jefferson sits with other members of Wash- ington’s cabinet. George Washington is seated at the left end of the table. Next to him is Hen- ry Knox, followed by Alexander Ham- u JEFFERSON MISSED ilton, Thomas Jef- being the nation’s ferson, and Ed- second president mund Randolph. by just three elec- toral votes. Coming in second automat- ically made him vice president, even though Jefferson was a Democratic- Republican, and Adams was a Fed- eralist. This system was changed in 1804. After that, the president and vice president couldn’t be from different parties. But the d JEFFERSON HAD A electoral system mockingbird for a survives even to- pet. While he day. The president worked in his study, is chosen not by the bird often popular vote but by perched on Jeffer- electors, selected son’s shoulder or by the political par- sat atop his table. ties in each state.
PRESIDENT’S PET
Jefferson_14-15.indd 14 3/15/17 5:48 PM 15 MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT son became vice president. Four years later, in 1800, Jefferson ran for presi- dent again – and won. On March 4, 1801, the day he was sworn in as the na- tion’s third president, he refused to be driven to the capitol in a fancy carriage. Instead, he rode on horseback without a uard is actions on that fi rst da were a sign of things to come. Jefferson was a no-nonsense leader. For eight years, he worked hard and served his country well.
look for “objects u ONE OF JEFFERSON’S worthy of notice.”* greatest achieve- They discovered ments as president 200 new species of was buying the Loui- plants. Clark also siana Territory. The shipped back 300 emperor of France, fossil bones. Napoleon Bonaparte, Jefferson put them sold it to the United on display in his States in 1803. At u JEFFERSON SENT mansion. that time, France was
Meriwether Lewis *Thomas Jefferson. From warring with Britain, and William Clark to Thomas Jefferson’s letter to and Napoleon need- Meriwether Lewis. Library of explore the Louisi- Congress. https://www.loc. ed money for the gov/exhibits/lewisandclark/ ana Territory and transcript57.html. fi ght. It was a sensa- tional bargain! The U.S. spent $15 mil- lion for about 828,000 square miles, a cost of less than about four cents an acre. This pur- chase nearly doubled the size of the U.S.
u IN 1803, BRITAIN American ships tries to smuggle and France went to from sailing to for- goods out of the war. Jefferson kept eign ports until it country. The turtle the U.S. out of it, was safe. Ship- represents the gov- but French and Brit- builders and sailors ernment trying to ish ships interfered lost their jobs. Ex- stop him. In 1809, with American ships ports – items to be Jefferson signed a on the high seas. In shipped out of the law that allowed 1807, Congress country for sale – U.S. trade with passed the Embar- piled up. In this car- countries other than go Act. It barred toon, a merchant France and Britain.
l DURING JEFFERSON’S second term as pres- ident, he asked Con- gress to pass a law that would put an end to the slave trade with other countries. Congress passed the law. It took effect on January 1, 1808.
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IN 1804, THOMAS Jefferson’s young- Jefferson’s Later Years er daughter, Maria, died at age 25. In 1809, Jefferson’s sec- from all walks of life came Martha was the ond term as president end- to see him or wrote him let- only one of his six ters, asking for his advice children who was ed. He headed straight for still alive. She and Monticello. Someone else and opinions. He played a her family came to who had worked as hard as key role in the founding of live with Jefferson at Monticello. He Jefferson did might have the University of Virginia, greatly enjoyed the decided to take a little time and he often advised his time he spent with off. But in his retirement, successors, Presidents Martha’s 11 chil- Jefferson was almost as James Madison and James dren. busy as before. By the time Monroe. Until his health he returned to Monticello, failed, Jefferson lived as he he was known worldwide. had advised his daughter People called him the Sage Martha to do, so long ago. (wise person) of Monticel- He just “kept on doing.” lo. Hundreds of people
1825, in Charlot- tesville, it is now known as the Uni- versity of Virginia. Jefferson designed the main buildings and supervised the construction. He even chose the u IN 1816 JEFFER- infl uence to con- teachers and the son lobbied law- vince people in subjects to be makers in the Vir- government to do taught. ginia legislature to something.) He establish a state called it his little *From The Jefferson Cyclopedia, edited by John university. (To lobby “academical vil- P. Foley. New York: Funk & means to use your lage.”* Opened in Wagnalls, 1900. d IT WOULDN’T BE surprising to fi nd u AFTER JEFFERSON that Jefferson suf- and John Adams fered from writer’s (above) retired from cramp. In a letter public life, a friend to John Adams, he of theirs helped once wrote that he patch up a quarrel had received 1,267 between them that letters in a single had started when year. No doubt he they both ran for answered most of president. Adams them. and Jefferson re- sumed a letter- writing friendship that lasted the rest of their lives. In u IN 1815 JEFFER- and his debts were nearly $24,000. His their letters, they son faced serious piling up. In order to books became the discussed religion financial problems. raise money, Jeffer- basis for the na- and politics. They Prices for farm son sold 6,487 tion’s Library of also wrote about crops were drop- books from his be- Congress (above). their grandchildren. ping. He owed loved library to the money to the bank, U.S. Congress for
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u THIS IS JEFFERSON’S tombstone in the graveyard at Monti- cello. Oddly, Jeffer- son and Adams died on the same day, July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the Decla- ration of Indepen- dence was approved. Adams was 91 and Jefferson was 83. Jefferson died at Monticello after an illness that had lasted some days. A few hours later, in Brain- tree, Massachusetts, John Adams died. His last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives.”*
*John Adams. From Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, edited by Charles Francis Adams. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1875.
What do you think was Thomas Jefferson’s most important con- tribution to his country?
BEFORE HIS DEATH, JEFFERSON wrote this letter describing how he wished to be remem- bered. He mentioned the three things he was most proud of: writing the Declaration of In- dependence, starting the Uni- versity of Virginia, and writing the Virginia Statute for Reli- gious Freedom.
Jefferson_16-17.indd 17 3/15/17 5:49 PM 18 Activities DRAW A PICTURE On pages 8 and 9 of this mag- azine, you read about import- ant events during Thomas Jefferson’s lifetime. Draw a picture of one of these events and write a caption about it. Use the information in the magazine to help you write the caption. In your caption, explain what the picture depicts and why the event was important. Put your picture together with pictures that other classmates have made to create a book about Thomas Jefferson. Ask permission to display the book where others in the school can see it.
WRITE A RESEARCH REPORT Suppose the historical museum you work for is mounting an exhibit on Thomas Jefferson. You and a few others have been asked to write a biographical report that will appear on a plaque posted at the exhibit. Your job is to write sev- eral paragraphs of a report about a stage in Jefferson’s life. You might focus on his role during the American Revolution, his time as U.S. president, or his early life in the Virginia colony. Use information from this magazine and from additional research to write the report.
Jefferson_18-19.indd 18 3/15/17 5:51 PM 19 MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES
Benjamin Franklin George Washington Declaration of What do bifocals, odometers, and A humble, modest, and kind man, Independence lightning rods have in common? If you George Washington probably didn’t It’s hard to believe that just over a guessed Ben Franklin, you’re right! strike many as a great military hero. thousand words could change world Inventor, statesman, writer – there was But his successes on the battlefield history, but one document – only no hat that Ben did not wear, and wear were just as pivotal to the birth of our 1,337 words long – did just that. This better than most other people. Discover nation as the years he served as our document’s ideas shook up the mighty his many contributions to both the first president. Learn about the heroic British Empire. It launched a new Declaration of Independence and the and patriotic man who was America’s nation. And it is still greatly admired Constitution. first commander in chief. today. What is this document? It’s the Declaration of Independence.
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS
HSS 5.5 Students explain the causes of the American 5.6.7 Understand how the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Revolution. Independence changed the way people viewed slavery. 5.5.1 Understand how political, religious, and economic ideas and interests brought about the Revolution (e.g., resistance to imperial pol- icy, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, taxes on tea, Coercive Acts). Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills: 5.5.3 Understand the people and events associated with the drafting Historical Interpretation and signing of the Declaration of Independence and the document’s 1. Students summarize the key events of the era they are studying significance, including the key political concepts it embodies, the ori- and explain the historical contexts of those events. gins of those concepts, and its role in severing ties with Great Britain. 5.5.4 Describe the views, lives, and impact of key individuals during Chronological and Spatial Thinking this period (e.g., King George III, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, 4. Students use map and globe skills to determine the absolute loca- George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams). tions of places and interpret information available through a map’s or globe’s legend, scale, and symbolic representations. HSS 5.6 Students understand the course and consequences of the American Revolution.
Jefferson_18-19.indd 19 3/15/17 5:51 PM hmhco.com
EDITOR: Jennifer Dixon FACT-CHECKER: Nayda Rondon, ART DIRECTION: o ins aumann, Patricia Fogarty ro e esi n DESIGNERS: an rown, d a e , AUTHOR: inda cher, m u hes David Ricculli, Jeremy Rech AUTHOR TEAM LEAD: Amy K. Hughes PHOTO RESEARCH: Ted Levine, isa eth or an PRESIDENT AND CEO: Ted Levine ACTIVITIES WRITER: Marjorie Frank CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER: Mark Levine PROOFREADER: Jennifer Dixon, Karen Hammonds
GRADE 5 TITLES center m ar o ct i rar of on ress u uis to ri ht ma showin ouisiana urchase territor ictoria ress u er center ewis and ar Regions of North America eor e ashin ton erita e ma e artnershi td to ri ht ec aration of nde endence Getty Images: eor e addin icture o ection to ri ht efferson residentia astern ood and ndians Thomas Jefferson china u en ar e rchi e hotos to eft anchard a oon ettmann ains ndians en amin ran in ower center ouisiana urchase fred isenstaedt he icture o ection eft cannon a c oc Granger: ri ht first nationa a ottom outhwest eo es The Constitution war announcement ottom ri ht ontice o u er ri ht eor e Northwest Coast Peoples The New Nation statue ower ri ht merican e o ution ottom ri ht co er cents center ni ersit of ir inia ottom ri ht s etch of tom stone arin ma es merica Lewis and Clark to center commander in chief iStock: tra e er to center efferson orin the mericas estward ansion emoria ontice o oe otato ottom ri ht t ohn s hurch amin um in ottom ri ht ui and a er Library of Congress: ar ett ements Pioneers ohnston, rances en amin ower eft uc ahoe choo house ationa ortrait 13 Colonies mmi ration a er , mithsonian nstitution ri ht co de ice etroit u ishin om an hoto ra h o ection to ri ht resentin ec aration of nde endence North ec aration of nde endence ndustria e o ution in merica Wind Picture Archives: center ri ht anie oone Shutterstock: s aca American Revolution Civil Rights ount ushmore ndrei u mi u er eft nic e erett istorica ottom center artha ats efferson ando h , u er eft eor e ashin ton , e o utionar omen u er center efferson e ected , u er ri ht ewis and ar , ri ht ar of , ri ht rie ana te e aeh center o ernor s home itu ano ethani to center i iams ur , hris i ottom a d ea e im ON THE COVER: efferson ortrait i ert tuart, Alamy: i tor u er center a e eor ios o idas to eft ohn oc e onnie a or arr ottom moc in ird ean a one ower center i rar of PICTURE CREDITS: Alamy: rchi e to eft ortrait an a na ottom eft on ress interior anie i a to ri ht efferson tom stone ictor ra e efferson at aw schoo hoto esearchers ower ri ht artha a es e ton , to ir drawin eo e o ottom research re ort iudacoro ewa eft en ran in orth ind icture rchi es u er ri ht dancin , eft to ri ht en amin ran in Thomas Jefferson Foundation: The Monticello ens a ed eo e , midd e eft sma o accination , ottom s a er auction assroom to eft s etch of ontice o , ottom eft am eche chair , udd a s center efferson edroom an ar eft entrance ha or d ower eft dum waiter istor rchi e ottom ri ht tarred and feathered risma rchi o ower ri ht surrender at or town inta e asshouse ma es u er ri ht ec aration ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS: of nde endence , ower eft cotton in ose ma es to ri ht att e of Michael Kline Illustration: artoons, co er hadwe , eter efferson, e in ton and oncord i da icture i rar to center ohn dams , i iams ur u es, sta ecoach, census, e e hant, e ectora otes, ower eft ohn dams hronic e to eor e ashin ton dies ar ans icture i rar center ri ht as am s harcide ower ri ht Clermont Wood Ronsaville Harlin, Inc: efferson, , atthew re ontice o, , erett o ection u er ri ht writin chair d a er tudios ottom aren arnes efferson s raft, , atthew re efferson s nau uration, eft ouse of ur esses ran er, eft ashin ton s ca inet , ower , re ar in efferson omin ome, , re ar in
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