Center for History Education
Why is John Adams Standing on Thomas Jefferson's Foot?
Was it a bromance, or were they frenemies? Young historians use a controversial portrait and letters between Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and others to evaluate the relationship between the two Founding Fathers. Examining the primary...
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Introduction to Abigail Adams
Remember this lady! Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States, and the mother of the sixth president, John Quincy Adams, was much more than a wife and mother. This prolific letter writer is the...
K12 Reader
Abigail Adams: Persuading Her Husband
After reading a brief excerpt from a letter written by Abigail Adams to her husband and future president of the United States, John Adams, your young historians will practice their reading comprehension skills and identify what Abigail...
Curated OER
Abigail and John in Love
The second lesson in the series asks groups to analyze an exchange of love letters between Abigail and John Adams. Scholars identify the many allusions and references in the letters and consider what they can infer about the writers.
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Abigail as Letter Writer
The fourth instructional activity in the series of 16 asks researchers to analyze an exchange of letters between John and Abigail Adams for what they each valued in letter writing.
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Creating the Constitution
Useful as a review assignment or as a quiz, these ten questions on the U.S. Constitution address its creation. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Ben Franklin are the main topics of the questions, as well as The Three-Fifths Compromise.
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Abigail as Feminist
Young historians examine a 1778 letter from Abigail Adams to John Thaxter and another from Abigail to her husband John Adams, written in 1776, that reveal her views on the perceived role of women and the laws that governed women's roles....
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Abigail in Mourning
People deal with grief in different ways. The series of Abigail Adams' letters in this lesson reveals how she dealt with losing her mother, father, and community members. The included worksheet helps young scholars identify the tone and...
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Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson
In addition to her letters to her husband, family members, and friends, Abigail Adams also wrote to key political figures of the time. In this lesson, scholars examine letters Adams' wrote to and received letters from Thomas Jefferson...
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Abigail as Mother (Part 1)
In part one of a two-part series, scholars compare two of Abigail Adams' letters: one to her son and the other to her daughter. Researchers use the provided worksheets to contrast evidence of the tone and themes in the two letters.
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Abigail’s Daily Life
Young scholars continue their analysis of Abigail Adam's letters looking in this lesson plan at what they reveal about her daily life and concerns about the increasing political tensions with the British.
National First Ladies' Library
The Education of Abigail Adams
Learners read the biography of Abigail Smith Adams from the First Ladies Library web site. They work in small groups to write a description of her education. Students discuss their findings, and extend this to the education of girls in...
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Abigail at Seventeen
Young historians analyze a letter 17-year-old Abigail Adams wrote to her cousin and identify the aphorism Adams used. Participants select a line from the letter and create an illustration of the aphorism.
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Abigail as Political and Historical Observer
Lesson five in the series asks scholars to examine letters Abigail Adams wrote about her experiences during American Revolutionary War battles, her thoughts on slavery, and her concerns for her husband.
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Abigail in Childbirth
Childbirth has never been easy and is not without risk, even in the 21st century. Young historians gain insight into the travails of 18th-century childbirth as they read letters between Abigail Adams and her husband about their loss of a...
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Lesson for Core Concept #7: Differing Expectations
Students investigate how American colonists felt they would be impacted by conflict with the British. In this colonial America lesson, students examine the Declaration of Independence, papers from the Committees of Correspondence, and...
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Abigail as Mother (Part II)
Different tones for different audiences. That's the big idea behind the second lesson in a two-part series that reveals Abigail Adams as a mother. Scholars examine letters Abigail Adams wrote to her sons, John Quincy Adams and Charles...
Curated OER
Abigail and Mercy
Scholars examine three letters from Abigail Adams to Mercy Otis Warren, compare them to previous letters in the series, and note the change in tone in these letters she writes to her friend.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Revolutionary Times as Seen Through the Eyes of Women
The role of women before and during the American Revolution changed dramatically. To gain an understanding of these changes, middle schoolers analyze primary source documents, including letters from women that supported the patriot cause...
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Johnny Tremain for the 21st Century
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the American Revolution based on the novel, 'Johnny Tremain.' They define key vocabulary terms, develop a timeline, write a report on a colonial craft, make a colonial flag, and create a...
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A New Spin on Letter Writing Lessons
Letter writing lessons can provide a way to introduce students to this important mode of communication.
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources: Letters from the Presidents
Learners research the life of a president by reading personal letters on the American Presidents web site, and explore the ways that the character and personality of the president affected the ways they handled historical events.
National First Ladies' Library
Jefferson's Legacy: A National Library
Students examine the creation of the Library of Congress. They investigate reasons why Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection to the Library. Employing various research resources, students write newspaper articles about the sale...
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The Changing Role of Women
Eleventh graders examine the evolution of women's rights in America. As they analyze primary documents and discuss historical events, learners determine how Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, Margaret Sanger, and James...