+
Primary
Yale University

The Avalon Project: The English Bill of Rights 1689

For Students 9th - 10th
An electronic version of the original English Bill of Rights, written in 1689, which influenced the writings of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, and laid the basis for American Democracy and common law.
+
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Docsteach: Lewis & Clark's Expedition to the Complex West

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This activity can be used as an introduction or for a closer study of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Students will learn that the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803 and President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and...
+
eBook
Teaching American History

Teaching American History: From Bullets to Ballots Chapter 5

For Students 9th - 10th
Alexander Hamilton's influences in politics among citizens seemed to create frustration with those who agreed with the philosophies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The Republicans begin organizing themselves.
+
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like a Historian: Shays' Rebellion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read primary source documents to solve a problem surrounding a historical question. This document-based inquiry lesson allows students to gain a more nuanced understanding of how Americans...
+
Website
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Colonial Williamsburg: Meet the People

For Students 9th - 10th
Meet the people of colonial Williamsburg! Content includes a focus on the life of African-Americans, colonial children, tradesmen, and elite members of society. Special focus is also placed on the lives of George & Martha Washington,...
+
Graphic
Curated OER

Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides information on American inventors Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Singer, Wilbur Wright, Thomas Alva Edison, Elias Howe, and Alexander Graham Bell. It offers pictures from and...
+
Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service

For Students 9th - 10th
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...
+
Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: The Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803)

For Students 9th - 10th
A fantastic site from the Our Documents group that allows visitors to see an original copy of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty of 1803. This treaty allowed the United States to purchase a tract of land west of the Mississippi River that was...
+
Website
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Giants of Texas History

For Students 9th - 10th
From the state of Texas, this page discusses notable Texans who were instrumental in the development of the state, along with links to their biographies.
+
Primary
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Declaration of Independence

For Students 9th - 10th
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee brought what came to be called the Lee Resolution before the Continental Congress. This resolution stated "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states " Congress...
+
Handout
Other

Monticello: Monticello Design and Decor

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the creativity that was put into the design of Monticello, as well as all of the great inventions throughout the house.
+
Graphic
Curated OER

Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776

For Students 9th - 10th
Thomas Jefferson had the task of writing the Declaration of Independence amongst the tense climate of the Revolutionary War. This site by EyeWitness to History details information surrounding the writing of this great document.
+
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Was the Revolution Justified?

For Students 9th - 10th
A terrific look at the twenty-seven specific reasons Thomas Jefferson cited in the Declaration of Independence and the support for those reasons of why the colonists felt justified in breaking the bonds with Great Britain.
+
Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Formative Decade

For Students 9th - 10th
The first decade of the new American nation saw much development and progress, but there was still contention about what the national government's role would be. Read about the differing views of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.
+
Primary
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Early American Trade With China: Europe's Economic Tradition [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Most well-educated American colonists (including early American leaders like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin) were familiar with the writings andideas of European scholars, so it makes sense that Americans came to...
+
Article
Other

California State Univ.: Internet as Ethics Resource Tool

For Students 9th - 10th
Site from California State University, Fullerton addresses ethical use of the internet with hyperlinks to valuable sources from the US Supreme Court to Thomas Jefferson and John Stuart Mill.
+
Website
Other

American Presidents: John Adams

For Students 9th - 10th
List of facts about John Adams and his presidency, with links to additional information, including the text of his inaugural address and a letter to Thomas Jefferson.
+
Website
Other

Us Internet: Mischecanocquah/meshekinoquah (Little Turtle)

For Students 9th - 10th
This article begins with brief biographical data, but most of it is an address Little Turtle made to President Thomas Jefferson and Henry Dearborn regarding the American government's failure to live up to the conditions of the Treaty of...
+
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Introducing Students to Visual Analysis

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Learners will develop visual literacy skills by analyzing the images from John White Alexander's mural in the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress while learning about the history of the Library of Congress. Then,...
+
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Two Parties Emerge

For Students 5th - 8th
Although George Washingon denounced the creation of political parties, they came roaring into play in the election of 1796 in which John Adams, representing the Federalists, ran against Thomas Jefferson, who represented the...
+
Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Alexander Hamilton

For Students 9th - 10th
Alexander Hamilton is perhaps the most misunderstood and under-appreciated of the Founders. A proponent of a strong national government with an "energetic executive," he is sometimes described as the godfather of modern big government....
+
Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Roger Sherman

For Students 9th - 10th
Although not the most charismatic or eloquent Founder, Roger Sherman was highly esteemed by his contemporaries. At Sherman's death, Ezra Stiles, president of Yale College, wrote, "He was an extraordinary man-a venerable uncorrupted...
+
Handout
US Department of State

Biographies of the Secretaries of State: James Madison (1751 1836)

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical material on James Madison details his life and rise to become a prominent statesman, appointed Secretary of State by Thomas Jefferson in 1801.
+
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Beginnings of Revolutionary Thinking: Impact of Enlightenment

For Students 6th - 8th
The ideas of the Enlightenment began in Europe, but they were acted upon in the American colonies. See how the philosophies of John Locke and Rousseau influenced the thoughts and actions of Puritan clergy and political figures like...

Other popular searches