Learning Guide
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Thomas Jefferson; A Film By Ken Burns
®
(1996)
A Mentura Learning Guide
Format:
Age Levels:
Genre:
Category:
Rating:
Length:
Producer:
Warnings:
DVD
Middle School, High School
Documentary
History, American
NR
180 minutes
Florentine Films, PBS
No warnings
Summary
In the PBS documentary Thomas Jefferson, renowned documentary maker Ken Burns examines
the life and philosophy of the enigmatic and brilliant third president of the United States, Thomas
Jefferson. This film uses still photos and readings of Jefferson’s own writings to depict the life and
times of the man who was both famed and revered as the author of the Declaration of
Independence and reviled as a slave owner and ineffective president. This is a biography of
Jefferson’s life in two parts: part one examines on his youth and early career, his role in the
American Revolution and his ambassadorship to France; part two details Jefferson’s political career
including his presidency and retirement years. Jefferson’s writings and that of his contemporaries,
as well as in depth interviews with historians paint a rich portrait of one the most significant men in
the history of America. Special features include interviews with the filmmaker, Ken Burns.
Vocabulary (Grades 6-12)
Try the following activities with the vocabulary words to the right. Depending
on the age and ability of your students, they may be able to complete
assignments from multiple grade levels.
6-8:
Write a description or review about this DVD using the vocabulary
words. Above each vocabulary word, write N if it is a noun, V if it is a
verb; ADJ if it is an adjective; ADV if it is an adverb.
6-12: Copy the vocabulary words onto a sheet of paper. What do you think
each word means? Write down what you think the words mean from
your own knowledge. Now, look up each word in a dictionary, and
compare definitions. How close were you? Write each word in a
sentence, or write a paragraph or DVD summary using the words.
Vocabulary
Statesman
Liberty
Ambassador
Hypocritical
Revolution
Agrarian
Louisiana
Monticello
Republic
Emancipation
9-12: Write down words you hear in the video you don’t understand. Break
the words into parts and see if you can determine the meanings. Look
up the meanings.
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Learning Guide
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Discussion Questions
Ask students to read through their questions carefully before watching the film, and take notes
during the film. After watching it, ask students to write their answers to the following questions on
a separate piece of paper.
Intermediate
1. Thomas Jefferson was a man of many talents and accomplishments. Name some of them.
2. How old was Jefferson when he penned the Declaration of Independence?
3. What sort of socio-economic background did Jefferson hail from?
4. How many children did Jefferson and his wife Martha have? How many of them survived childhood?
5. What were the basic ideas behind the Declaration of Independence?
6. How was the new government of America after the revolution unusual?
7. Why did Jefferson return to public office after retiring to Monticello? What did he hope to accomplish as
President?
8. How was Jefferson able to write about all men being created equal and yet to be a slave owner at the
same time? How did he feel about the institution of slavery?
9. What statesman was Jefferson’s friend at times, foe at other times, and died on the same day as
Jefferson?
10. What government agency now holds all of Jefferson’s personal papers and books?
Advanced
1. What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence? What was the result of the adoption of this
Declaration by the Colonists?
2. Why was the new government of America considered experimental?
3. In what ways did Jefferson attempt to remedy the evils of slave ownership? Were his ideas accepted?
4. Why did Jefferson feel that there should be a separation of Church and State?
5. What were some of the private pursuits of Thomas Jefferson? What was his profession?
6. What was the Alien and Sedition Act?
7. Why did Jefferson refer to the events surrounding his first election to the office of President of the
United States as “the revolution of 1800”?
8. How did Jefferson reconcile his owning of slaves with his philosophy of liberty for all? What were his
views on racial characteristics?
9. How did the Louisiana Purchase change the shape of the nation? How did America benefit from this
acquisition of territory?
10. After Jefferson finally left public service and retired, how did he spend his days? What were his
interests?
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Learning Guide
Page 3 of 7
Lessons & Activities
Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
Subjects:
Grades:
Style:
History
6-12
Visual/Experiential/Kinesthetic
Concepts:
Learn about the Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson’s contributions to the cause
of Liberty.
Lesson:
Thomas Jefferson was, among many things, a writer of the highest caliber. He used his skills to
craft the Declaration of Independence, a document that set forth the tenets of the American
Revolution. The major theme of the Declaration of Independence expressed Jefferson’s personal
beliefs, that all people are inherently equal and deserve to be free from tyranny, and that the
government should be a representation of all the people of the country, not just the wealthy and
powerful. Thomas Jefferson believed that the future of humanity was dependent on a democratic
society for all, and that the federal government should have a small role in controlling society, with
most of the power residing in the individual state governments. These philosophies were
instrumental in Jefferson’s crafting of the Declaration of Independence, and in his other writings as
well. These principles of democracy have since been adopted by many other nations in the world,
and the legacy of Thomas Jefferson continues to inspire freedom lovers around the world.
Activities for grades 6-9
• Go on a ThinkQuest Journey about the Declaration of Independence and the American
Revolution at http://library.thinkquest.org/10966/. More information can be found at:
http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/, the official site for this DVD.
•
Create a timeline that details the life of Thomas Jefferson using the above resources and your
library and textbooks. Include in your timeline the major events in Jeffersons personal and
political life. Illustrate your timeline with graphics from the internet, pictures from magazines,
and your own art work.
•
Read the following quotes from the writings of Thomas Jefferson. On a separate paper, try to
explain in easy to understand terms what Jefferson meant by each phrase and how these ideas
affected the structure of the American democratic system.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. . . ." (Declaration of
Independence, July 4, 1776)
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Learning Guide
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"Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that
whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to
rights." (Thomas Jefferson to Richard Price, January 8, 1789)
"Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to our god alone. I enquire
after no man's and trouble none with mine; nor is it given to us in this life to know whether yours
or mine, our friend's or our foe's, are exactly the right." (Thomas Jefferson to Miles King,
September 26, 1814
“Bigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant.
Education and free discussion are the antidotes of both." (Thomas Jefferson to John Adams,
August 1, 1816)
Activities for grades 9-12
• The Declaration of Independence was a document set forth to explain the reasons that the
colonists in America wanted freedom from British rule. Read the text of the Declaration of
Independence at this site:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/declaration/declaration_transcription.html
Information about the events preceding the American Revolution can be found at:
http://www.founding.com/timeline/index.cfm
•
Create a report that details some of the points made in the declaration of independence, and
what events led to these issues being addressed by Jefferson and the Continental Congress.
Be sure to include some historical events that directly influenced the crafting of this document,
and what Jefferson hoped to accomplish by addressing these issues in the document.
• Research the life and times of Thomas Jefferson. Write a biography of Jefferson that mentions
his convictions, his education experience, his various government offices, and the many
accomplishments of this important man. Information can be found at the following links:
http://www.monticello.org/
http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/
•
Thomas Jefferson was a revolutionary who valued liberty and equality above all other things,
but at the same time he was a slave owner. How did Jefferson reconcile his views about
freedom with his owning slaves? How did he feel about the practice of slavery? How did he
rationalize the apparent disparity in his beliefs compared to his actions? Imagine you are
Thomas Jefferson and you have to answer these questions. Write a speech that you think will
explain your position and help others to understand your stand on the issue of slavery.
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Learning Guide
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Additional Lessons and Activities for Your Child’s Learning Style
Visual (seeing)
•
Watch the DVD Thomas Jefferson, a film by Ken Burns, and watch the segments that show
how Ken Burns and his crew obtain the footage you see in their work. Document their process.
•
Look at an American Flag. Can you remember the significance of the symbols on the flag?
Auditory (hearing)
•
Read the Declaration of Independence aloud to someone, and have someone read it to you.
How would it have been shared with the people of the Colonies in the age before radio and
television? Would it have the same effect? What would be different about it?
•
Listen to a recording of some patriotic American songs. How does music help further ideas?
Experiential (feeling, internalizing)
•
Imagine that you live in the colonies before the revolution. How would you feel about Britain
and the King?
•
How would you feel about the changes going on in the country? Would you be excited, or
frightened? Why?
Kinesthetic (movement and tactile)
•
Create an artwork that displays the idea that you think is most important in the Declaration of
Independence. You could make a drawing or painting, or a sculpture.
•
Draw a map of the original 13 colonies, and pinpoint the places on the map where important
developments in the American revolution occurred.
Learn More! Books and Online Resources
BOOKS
Thomas Jefferson : Writings : Autobiography / Notes on the State of Virginia / Public and
Private Papers / Addresses / Letters (Library of America)
Thomas Jefferson, Merrill D. Peterson (Editor) Library of America 1984; ISBN: 094045016X
American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson
Joseph J. Ellis; Knopf1997; ISBN: 0679444904
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Learning Guide
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The Declaration of Independence
United States, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Fink (Illustrator), Scholastic Reference 2002; ISBN:
0439407001; (ages 9-12)
The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson
and Abigail and John Adams
Lester J. Cappon (Editor) Univ of North Carolina Press 1988; ISBN: 0807842303
ONLINE RESOURCES
PBS Thomas Jefferson
http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/
The link to the site for this DVD
American Presidents
http://www.americanpresidents.org/presidents/president.asp?PresidentNumber=3
Information about all the American presidents, this page has Jefferson information.
Monticello
http://www.monticello.org/
The site run by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia
Library of Congress Jefferson Collection
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mtjhtml/
A collection of over 27,000 original documents from Thomas Jefferson.
Inventors Online Museum
http://www.inventorsmuseum.com/Jefferson.htm
Explore some of the inventions that Thomas Jefferson is known for.
Thomas Jefferson Online Resources at the University of Virginia
http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson
The home for resources on Jefferson at the University of Virginia, including quotes. This university,
originally created by Thomas Jefferson, also houses a considerable number of Jefferson papers.
Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government
http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/
A collection of over 2,100 quotations from Jefferson's writings.
White House on Thomas Jefferson
http://www1.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/tj3.html
A short biography of Jefferson with links to information on his wife Martha Wayles Skelton, and
copies of his inaugural speeches.
Life of Thomas Jefferson
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1683/ljindex.htm
A comprehensive biography.
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Learning Guide
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY:
Intermediate
1. He wrote the Declaration of Independence, was Ambassador to France, was Vice President, President, an
inventor, a writer, and an architect.
2. Jefferson was 33 years old when he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
3. Jefferson’s parents were wealthy. His father was a self made man and his mother was a member of one of the
wealthiest and most influential families in Virginia.
4. The Jeffersons had six children, and only two survived childhood.
5. The basic ideas in the Declaration of Independence were that all people are equal and deserve to govern
themselves, and that law applies to all equally, and all deserve the chance to better themselves.
6. It was the first Republic, i.e. government of the people, by the people, for the people.
7. Jefferson felt that the first presidents had lost the ideals of the revolution and were becoming to centralized in
government. He wanted to keep the power with the individual states.
8. Jefferson knew that slavery was an evil and thought it would bring down the government eventually if not
discontinued. He also felt that the time was not right for these changes during his life, and that America was too
economically dependent on slave labor to be changed in his lifetime.
9. John Adams
10. The Library of Congress.
Advanced
1. The Declaration of Independence was to consolidate the protests and put forth the hopes of the American
colonists, and explain the reasons for revolution to King George and to the American people.
2. There had never been a republic before, a government run by the very people being governed. There had always
been monarchy and dictatorships prior to this experiment.
3. Jefferson tried to include the emancipation of slaves in the Declaration as well as in bills he drafted while governor
of Virginia. None were ratified in his lifetime.
4. Jefferson thought that religion should be a personal choice not dictated by the government, and that the
government should not be able to use religion as a basis for persecutions.
5. Jefferson was an author, an inventor, a farmer, an architect. His primary career outside of politics was farming,
and he owned a vast estate.
6. Threatened by war with France, in 1798 the Alien and Sedition Act was passed to strengthen the Federal
government. This legislation was sponsored by the Federalists and was also intended to quell political opposition
from the Republicans and Thomas Jefferson.
7. He felt that the government had gotten monarchical in its acts and when the Federalists tried to block his election
to the Presidency, a threat of rebellion caused the Federalists eventually to back down so Jefferson could take the
office.
8. Jefferson felt that blacks were inferior by nature and that they would be “like children” if set free, i.e. unable to take
care of themselves. He probably believed that Caucasians were genetically superior and even responsible for the
welfare of the slaves, by their superiority. He felt it would be economically impossible to keep America growing if
there were no slaves, since they did the bulk of the labor in America.
9. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of America and also effectively removed the threat of British, French and
Spanish domination.
10. Jefferson finished his life at Monticello, farming, building and designing his home, writing letters and enjoying his
family.
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Learning Guide authored with assistance from the Home & School Learning Network www.homeschoollearning.com