Democracy and Citizenship:
The Principles of Freedom

Student Handout

BACKGROUND

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706, the 10th son of 17 children of a soap and candlemaker. He ended his formal education at the age of 10. At 12, he was apprenticed to his brother, a printer, and worked at that trade in Philadelphia. In 1729, he became the printer of paper currency for the colony of Pennsylvania. He went on to publish the "Pennsylvania Gazette," a colonial newspaper, and to create an academy that grew to be the University of Pennsylvania. In 1740, he gave up the management of his publications to devote himself to science. Franklin invented the bifocal spectacles and the lightning rod. In 1753, he branched out into public service. While in London in 1775, he became aware that there might be war between the colonies and Great Britain. He returned to Philadelphia to serve and then helped draft the Declaration of Independence.

THOMAS JEFFERSON
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States is best remembered for the many accomplishments he achieved and offices he held in his lifetime. Among these are his writing of the Declaration of Independence, his contribution to the creation of the Bill of Rights, his political career in America, his ministry in France, the Louisiana Purchase, and his enduring concern for education, culminating in the founding of the University of Virginia. On his tombstone he requested that only three of his accomplishments be listed - author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia. The Declaration of Independence is a symbol of freedom. Thomas Jefferson wrote it as a letter to King George III, telling him about the many things that Americans found wrong with his laws and policies. The Declaration states that "all men are created equal" and that people have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. We celebrate this day as the birthday of the United States of America.

GEORGE WASHINGTON
George Washington was born in 1732 into a wealthy family of Virginia planters. He had an irregular formal education, and at age 14 began working as a surveyor. At age 20, Washington inherited his brother's estate, one of the best in Virginia. During the next decade, he gained military experience in the French and Indian War. After returning to manage the family estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia, he was appointed commander in chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution (1775-83). Washington first commanded the American army that had gathered around Boston in 1775. He forced the British to give up the city and, in the following five years of war proved himself an indomitable commander ending the war with the capture of Yorktown in 1781. Washington was unanimously chosen president of the Constitutional Convention (1787) and was overwhelmingly elected first president of the republic (1789). George Washington is remembered as the "father of his country."

MONTICELLO
Monticello means "little mountain" in Italian. Few houses in America more accurately reflect the personality of their owner than does Jefferson's Monticello. Its design, construction, and remodeling, for which he determined virtually every detail, spanned over 40 years, beginning in 1768. His drawings of the first version of the house show that he rejected the Georgian architecture he saw in Virginia and adopted a formal classicism based primarily on the published work of the 16th Century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Some of Jefferson's ideas for the design of the house came from his study of ancient Roman buildings. Designing buildings was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite activities. He first learned about building in books. Jefferson had such an attention to detail that he oversaw every aspect of the furnishing of his house, including the designs of the curtains and color of the walls. Most of the furniture and objects at Monticello today were owned by Jefferson or his family. He even designed the gardens that surround Monticello with a variety of flowers from Europe and North America. Jefferson's most famous designs in addition to Monticello are the Virginia State Capitol and the University of Virginia.

MOUNT VERNON
Mount Vernon was the family home and is the burial place of George Washington. It is located in Fairfax County, Virginia, overlooking the Potomac River, 15 miles from Washington, D.C. The 18th-century two-story Georgian mansion is built of wood; but the siding is of wide, thick boards paneled so as to give the appearance of cut and dressed stonework. The rooms have been restored as they were when occupied by Washington and his family; most of the pieces on the first floor and all of those in Washington's bedchamber are originals. It is the second most visited home in America (after the White House), with more than 1,000,000 visitors every year.

PEOPLE AND PLACES

Students may already be familiar with the principal players in the nation's quest for freedom. Conduct a brainstorming session to review who they are and what their individual contributions were to American society. Name at least five individuals:

1.__________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________

4.__________________________________________________________

5.__________________________________________________________

In discussing the principles of freedom upon which this nation was founded and continues to build, the following places are important to any discussion. Use this assignment as a geography quiz by locating the places on a map and describe their significance below:

• Boston, Massachusetts:
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
• Valley Forge, Pennsylvania:
• Washington, D.C.:
• Mount Vernon:
• Monticello:
• Williamsburg, Virginia:
• Yorktown, Virginia:

Please determine the distance between locations and estimate how long it took Franklin, Jefferson and Washington to fulfill their obligations. How long would it take the students to make the same trip with today's methods of transportation.

QUESTIONS FOR THE PROGRAM GUESTS

Think of two questions to ask the guests during the program. Write them below. (Possible questions: Why were the heroes of this era great statesmen such as Franklin, Jefferson and Washington, while today's heroes are predominantly athletes and entertainers? Where was the first capitol of the United States and why was this location chosen?)

CAREER CORNER

School to Work Transition Studying U.S. History, Government and Democracy may not seem relevant to your future today, but they represent stepping stones to a meaningful career. A knowledge of these subjects will help you decide what is most interesting to you. This is very important because most people spend one-half of their waking time on the job. Investigate the following careers related to U.S. history and government. Find out what the person does on a daily basis; the educational and work experience required and where the work must be performed. You may also decide that you would like a career as a secretary or property manager, but you want to be employed within a field that is interesting to you, such as history and politics instead of in a science setting.

• Architect
• Congressional Aide
• Diplomat
• Economist
• Journalist
• Lawyer
• Museum Curator
• Political Analyst
• Politician
• Researcher
• Statistician
• Teacher

This program sponsored by Richard E. Rainwater