EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 

Students examine a letter written by Thomas Jefferson and identify techniques he used to persuade Congress to purchase his personal library in 1815. Students consider a selection of those books and write their own persuasive letters urging the books’ purchase.

Students analyze a set of pictograph documents created by native peoples of Puebla, Mexico in 1531. Students take on the role of historians, study the documents, and create a scenario to explain what these documents were for, who created them, and why.

This lesson focuses on the drafting of the United States Constitution in 1787 in Philadelphia. George Washington’s annotated copy of an early draft of the Constitution lets students analyze changes to the draft and explore the evolution of the final document.

Students investigate a series of maps depicting a voyage by Sir Francis Drake which involved attacks on Spanish settlements around the Atlantic. Students look closely at the details of each of these depictions and draw conclusions about the individual events as well as the entire voyage.

Students take a close look at the historic Minerva mosaic from the Great Hall of the Library of Congress and discover what it can tell them about the Library’s mission. They perform a basic primary source analysis and discuss the mosaic’s symbolism.

Students examine a copy of twelve possible amendments to the United States Constitution from 1789, and debate and vote on which of these amendments they would ratify to produce a Bill of Rights.

The 1507 World Map by Martin Waldseemüller is one of the world’s most important maps. Students investigate this map by looking closely at the details of each section of the map and then draw conclusions on the revelation of this new and unusual world to the people of 1507.

Students analyze Thomas Jefferson’s “original Rough draught” of the Declaration of Independence, compare its text to that of the final document adopted by Congress, and discuss the significance of wording differences.

Books from Thomas Jefferson’s personal library provide unique insights into the mind of the third President, and help students draw connections between his reading and his life’s work.

A quick way to get acquainted with some of the words related to the founding documents of the United States.

A simple, fun introduction to some of the words related to the books in Thomas Jefferson’s Library.

Students take a close-up look at Thomas Jefferson’s “original Rough draught” of the Declaration of Independence, and then try their hand at crafting an alternate version of the nation’s founding document.

This activity introduces historical maps from throughout the Library’s digital collections. Along with introductions, a graphic organizer for analysis and note taking and a set of guiding questions for each type of map have been provided.