primary source starter: thomas jefferson's rough draft of ... · 1. a library of congress...
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A Library of Congress Primary Source Starter
Thomas Jefferson’s Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence
Quick and easy activity ideas to start using Library of Congress primary sources in the classroom
Teacher Instructions
GoalStudents can explore Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence to think critically about the story behind the edits.
BackgroundEvery teacher knows how important it is to write a good rough draft, but what about studying a rough draft?
When Thomas Jefferson was asked to write what would become the Declaration of Independence, he was careful to start with a rough draft. After he finished it, he gave it to a group of reviewers, including Benjamin Franklin and future president John Adams, who read it and suggested several changes.
Jefferson’s “original rough draught” [http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt001.html], available on the Library of Congress Web site, lets students see all the scratched-out text and inserted words that Jefferson added as he and his reviewers discussed their edits. ActivitiesTeachers can have students:• Compare this draft to the final version of the Declaration• Speculate about why different changes were proposed• Brainstorm ways in which the government of the United States might have been different if some changes
hadn’t been made.You can use the Library’s primary source analysis tool and teacher guides to help students analyze Jefferson’s rough draft in further depth.
For more information on the Declaration of Independence:Creating the United Stateshttp://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/creatingtheus/DeclarationofIndependence/Pages/default.aspx
For more classroom materials and other teacher resources from the Library of Congress, visit loc.gov/teachers
Primary Source
Thomas Jefferson’s Rough Draft of the Declaration of IndependenceThomas Jefferson. June-July 1776. From Library of Congress: The Thomas Jefferson Papers.http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt001.html
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TEA
CH
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GU
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An
alyz
ing
Man
usc
rip
ts
BS
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E
Gui
de s
tude
nts
with
the
sam
ple
ques
tions
as
they
resp
ond
to th
e
N O
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I
prim
ary
sour
ce. E
ncou
rage
them
to g
o ba
ck a
nd fo
rth
betw
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the
T
F
S
L
colu
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; the
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no
corr
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app
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for f
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rese
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stud
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cho
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htt
p:/
/ww
w.loc.
gov
/tea
cher
s/usi
ngprim
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ourc
es/r
esourc
es/A
nal
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loc.gov/teachers
LOC.gov/teachers