Teach with Documents

Teaching with Documents at Mount Vernon

Document Analysis Worksheet. National Archives.

Four Reads: Learning to Read Primary Documents. Teachinghistory.org.

Making Sense of Letters and Diaries

Teachers' Guides for Analyzing Books and Texts. Library of Congress.

Apotheosis of George Washington

Lesson plan asking students to use visual and text-based primary sources to explore ways in which George Washington was characterized after his death.

George Washington and the Founding of the U.S. Government

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching the Founding of the U.S. Government.

George Washington at War

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching the American Revolution.

George Washington's Foreign Policy

A lesson plan discussing Washington's Farewell Address and foreign policy.

George Washington's List of Enslaved People, 1799

List of the enslaved individuals living and working at Mount Vernon made by George Washington in June 1799.

George Washington's List of Enslaved People, 1799 Lesson

Lesson plan using George Washington's list of enslaved people from 1799 to examine his role as a businessman and slave owner and to provide information about the institution of slavery in the 18th century.

George Washington's Views on Slavery

Lesson plan exploring Washington's views on slavery and the paradox of his slave ownership.

George Washington, Entrepreneur

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching about the business of Mount Vernon.

Ice Cream at Mount Vernon

An inquiry based module that asks students to answer a why ice cream was an exclusive treat at Mount Vernon by exploring three Supporting Questions and analyzing primary and secondary sources.

Leadership and Legacy

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching George Washington's Leadership and Legacy.

Manners & Mores of Washington's America

Lesson plan examining the manners and mores of 18th century America and the personal rules of decorum George Washington lived by and how they connect to today.

Martha Washington and the Women of the 18th Century

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching about women in the 18th century.

Rules of Civility

Article about the "Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company."

Slammin' Joe on Slavery

Slammin' Joe, one of Washington's slaves, describes the slave experience at Mount Vernon.

Slavery in George Washington's World

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching slavery.

The Constitution as a Job Description

A lesson plan asking students to use Article 1 and Article 2 of the Constitution and George Washington's notes on his personal copy of the document to create a job description for the President of the United States in 1787.

The Private Lives of Slaves

Article discussing some of the ways slaves spent their free time.

The Rules of Civility

Rules of behavior copied by George Washington when he was 16 years old.

The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior

Student worksheet on the "Rules of Civility."

Washington's 1799 Last Will and Testament and William Lee

Student worksheet on Washington's 1799 will.

Washington's Farewell Address

A transcription of Washington's Presidential Farewell Address.