To sign or not to sign? That is the question facing readers of the 1807 bill proposing an end to the slave trade. After a close reading of excerpts from the bill, readers are asked to advise Thomas Jefferson either to sign or reject the bill.

Concepts

thomas jefferson, the slave trade

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Ask groups to investigate other Jefferson primary source documents and then characterize this famous statesman's political views
• Use the resource to model how to read informational text and primary source materials
• The photo of the document introduces young historians to some of the challenges reseachers face in trying to read original copies of primary source materials

Classroom Considerations

 

 

Pros

• Text-based questions guide the close reading of the primary source

Cons

• Alas, no printed copy of the text is included in the resource