Drafting the Declaration: the Jefferson Desk and the Declaration of Independence
Activity 1: Historical Comprehension: Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and does it really matter?
Before showing your students the Jefferson desk, ask them who wrote the Declaration of Independence. It's highly likely that most will say Thomas Jefferson.
Watch the introductory movie together as a class [http://www.objectofhistory.org/objects/intro/desk/]. Discuss the information presented in the film about Thomas Jefferson and the significance of the desk.
Explain that while Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration he actually worked with a committee of five delegates to refine the document that was finally presented to the Continental Congress. Additionally, explain that rather than presenting completely original ideas, Jefferson drew on well know ideas about government and individual rights.
Discuss the basic story of the Jefferson desk and the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
Instruct students to read the correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that addresses political accusations that the ideas presented in the Declaration were not wholly Jefferson's.
As a group, read the Declaration of Independence and create a list of their grievances against King George III and the Parliament.
Ask students to examine the sources provided in the Explore section of the activity and create a list of where each of the above mentioned freedoms appeared in documents that predate the final version of the Declaration.
Remind students that the Explore section contains primary and secondary sources, organized into three main categories:
The Object category contains sources related to the Jefferson desk as a piece of material culture.
The Object in History category contains sources related to the place of the Jefferson desk in the context of the Revolutionary era and the legacy of the Declaration.
The Object in the Museum category contains information related to how NMAH acquired and displayed the Jefferson desk.
Remind students that the video clips of the curator discussing the object constitute the secondary sources on the site. All other materials are primary sources. Remind students that each primary source is accompanied by supporting information that is essential to critical historical thinking. First, at the top of the source is an annotation that provides contextual information. Second, at the bottom of the source, is the information, including author, title, and date. Instruct students to consider all of this information carefully as they work.
Discuss student findings.
Students should write a paragraph about each of the following topics.
The origins of ideas featured in the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson's role in writing the Declaration.
Whether it matters if all of the ideas featured in the Declaration of Independence originated with Jefferson.
