Tudor Place Historic House & Garden Teacher Resource Packet Shaping a Nation Grades 4-8 Tudor Place Historic House & Garden
Dear Educator, Thank you for your interest in Shaping a Nation. Our hope is that this program, which meets state, District, and national standards of education, complements the curriculum that your students learn in class. During their visit to Tudor Place, your students will explore Revolutionary War history in our mansion, which dates back two centuries. This Teacher Resource Packet is designed to help you link your classroom lessons with the field trip. The included Pre-Visit activities introduce concepts that will be expanded upon during the field trip, while the Post-Visit section contains activities that reinforce elements covered during the field trip. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at education@tudorplace.org. We look forward to your visit! Sincerely, Tudor Place Education Department 202-965-0400 x108 education@tudorplace.org
What is Tudor Place? Tudor Place is a National Historic Landmark in Georgetown, Washington, DC. The site includes a mansion, completed in 1816, and 5½ acres of gardens. Dr. William Thornton, designer of the first U.S. Capitol, designed the house, and included a full-round temple portico unique in American residential architecture. From 1805 to 1983, the Peter family stewarded the estate, witnessing and participating in American history. The first owners, Thomas Peter and Martha Parke Custis Peter, came from prominent local families. Thomas was the son of one of the first mayors of Georgetown, and Martha was the granddaughter of Martha Washington. In 1814, Martha Peter watched from her bedroom window as British troops burned the U.S. Capitol. Britannia Peter Kennon, her youngest daughter and the second owner of Tudor Place, operated the mansion as a boarding house for Union officers during the Civil War. The third owner, Britannia s grandson Armistead Peter, Jr., modernized the house in 1914. His son, Armistead Peter 3 rd, and daughter-in-law Caroline created a foundation to preserve the site and educate the public about American history. Prior to the Civil War, the Peters owned and inherited an extensive number of enslaved men, women, and children, who served the family, tended the household, farmed, and cultivated the garden. Records reveal some of their names and duties. For example, Will Johnson, an enslaved coachman, also tended the smokehouse that still stands on the property. Patty Allen, enslaved as a cook, lived out, or made her home offsite, in Georgetown with her free husband and their children. During the Civil War, John Luckett escaped slavery in Virginia and gained paid employment at Tudor Place as gardener. Free African Americans and European immigrants operated the estate in the late 19th and 20th centuries. During 178 years of ownership, the Peters amassed a collection of American, European, and Asian objects dating from the 18th to 20th centuries. Today, the museum holds more than 15,000 objects, from fine decorative arts to everyday household items, as well as an architectural and archaeological collection. The museum has over 200 objects that belonged to Martha and George Washington. An extensive archive holds one of three surviving letters from George to Martha, written in June 1775. Over the last 200 years, and six generations in one family, Tudor Place has stood witness to the American story. We look forward to welcoming you and your students to this historic home.
Preparing for Your Visit Museum Manners Please review museum manners with your students ahead of time and explain that there is a no-touch policy in the museum s historic rooms and gardens. Please have your students wear a nametag to help our museum teachers actively engage everyone. Logistics We require at least 1 adult chaperone for every 10 students, preferably teachers or classroom aides. Chaperones must remain with the students at all times and should assist with class management. Please let us know in advance if any students have special needs. The Tudor Place mansion can be made wheelchair accessible with advance notice, and we are happy to work with you to accommodate other special needs, including ASL interpretation, adaptive classroom materials, and technology. Please be prepared to divide the class(es) into even, co-ed groups for the tour. In our small historic spaces, programs provide the best experience when groups have no more than 15 students each. Outdoor programs take place rain or shine. Students should come prepared for the weather with coats, umbrellas, water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. as needed. With prior approval, school groups may picnic in the Tudor Place garden. Picnics must be scheduled at the time of field trip booking in order to provide for bus scheduling and to reserve space in the gardens. Picnics may not be scheduled after busing is finalized. Transportation Directions to Tudor Place are available on our website at tudorplace.org. Due to regulations established by the District of Columbia government: o All visitors must be dropped off and picked up at the Tudor Place entrance, 1644 31st St, NW. For student safety, please ask your bus to approach the house from the north, via R Street, NW. o Buses may not park or idle on 31st Street. Legal bus parking is located at: 2500-2600 block of Virginia Avenue, NW - north side; 2000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - north side; 900 block of 20th Street, NW - east side. Free busing for Title I schools is available with prior approval, while grant funding lasts. Fees and Cancellations We request a non-refundable $25 deposit, which counts toward the total cost for the program. If the deposit presents a challenge, please let us know. The admission fee is $3 per student, with 2 free chaperones and $2 per additional chaperone. The balance will be due on the day of the program. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact the Education Department immediately at education@tudorplace.org. The museum has the right to shorten or cancel programs that are more than 45 minutes late.
Pre-Visit Activities Listed below are activities that you can use with your class before visiting Tudor Place. All activities meet local and national curriculum standards. Activity 1: Loyalist or Patriot? At Tudor Place, students will explore the Revolutionary War through the perspectives of historical figures related to Tudor Place. Divide students into group based on tables. Give each group one of the four Scenario sheets and one copy of the Questions sheet. Explain that each group will take on the role of a person that lived during the Revolution. As a group, they will have to work to decide if they will remain loyal to England or join the Patriot cause. After determining their allegiance as their character, they should fill out the Questions sheet. Then, groups present their answers to the class. Take it Further: Have the students debate the loyalist and patriot causes.
Shaping a Nation: Scenario 1 Think about the perspective of a male enslaved worker on a plantation in Virginia. First decide which side to support the British or Americans. Based on your decision, answer the questions on the second page. Some points to consider: 1. Freedom from slavery was the primary main concern among African Americans. 2. The British offered immediate freedom to enslaved workers who joined the British Army and the British actively recruited enslaved workers belonging to Patriot masters. 3. Patriots talked of liberty and freedom; many African Americans thought the Revolution would end slavery and extend their civil rights. 4. General Washington allowed the enlistment of free African Americans with "prior military experience" in January 1776, and extended the enlistment terms to all free African Americans in January 1777 in order to help fill the depleted ranks of the Continental Army. 5. New England regiments recruited African American slaves by promising freedom to those who served in the Continental Army.
Shaping a Nation: Scenario 2 Think about the perspective of a male plantation owner in the backcountry of North Carolina. First decide which side to support the British or Americans. Based on your decision, answer the questions on the second page. Some points to consider: 1. This area is a stronghold of loyalist sentiment because of influential local men who support Britain and the King. 2. Loyalists in this area warned that without the British to maintain order there would be divisions and instability in the colonies. 3. Loyalists in this area depended on British trade and were afraid a revolution would disrupt their livelihood. 4. When the British launched their southern campaign in 1780, one of their aims was to scare Americans back to the crown by raising the fear of massive slave revolts. The British encouraged slaves to flee to their strongholds, promising ultimate freedom. The strategy backfired in some areas and some slave owners rallied to the patriot cause as the best way to maintain order and the plantation system. 5. New British measures (Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act and stationing of British troops in the colonies) deflated the American expectation of a more equal status in the British empire and violated what Americans understood to be their constitutional and political liberties: the right to consent to taxation, the right to a trial by jury, and the freedom from standing armies.
Shaping a Nation: Scenario 3 Think about the perspective of a male New England merchant. First decide which side to support the British or Americans. Based on your decision, answer the questions on the second page. Some points to consider: 1. This area is a stronghold of patriot sentiment. 2. New British measures (Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act and stationing of British troops in the colonies) deflated the American expectation of a more equal status in the British empire and violated what Americans understood to be their constitutional and political liberties: the right to consent to taxation, the right to a trial by jury, and the freedom from standing armies. 3. New England, particularly the city of Boston has been negatively impacted by the Townshend duties and the Coercive Acts. 4. Loyalists in this area depended on British trade and were afraid a revolution would disrupt their livelihood.
Shaping a Nation: Scenario 4 Think about the perspective of a woman living in the city of Alexandria, Virginia. First decide which side to support the British or Americans. Based on your decision answer the questions on the second page. Some points to consider: 1. This area is a stronghold of patriot sentiment. 2. Many thought new British measures (Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act and stationing of British troops in the colonies) deflated the American expectation of a more equal status in the British empire and violated what Americans understood to be their constitutional and political liberties: the right to consent to taxation, the right to a trial by jury, and the freedom from standing armies. 3. Abigail Adams, a Patriot, writes to her husband Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Would talk of freedom and liberty extend to women? 4. Although the social mores of the time did not easily permit women s participation in the Revolutionary war, many women managed to take more direct action in support of their cause. 5. When men on both sides went off to fight, the sole responsibility of running farms, businesses, raising children, and keeping the household together fell on the women. 6. Women also helped to supply troops with clothing, blankets, and bandages. 7. Some wives also followed the army, cooking and caring for wounded soldiers in exchange for ½ rations.
Shaping a Nation: Questions Working with your group, answer the following questions as you think your assigned character would. 1. After the war is over, who do you think should be in charge? 2. After the war is over, what type of government should be formed? 3. Who should own land? 4. Who should be allowed to vote? 5. Who should be allowed to own a gun? 6. What, if anything, should be taxed? Who should be creating tax laws? 7. What does freedom mean to you? 8. Who guarantees that freedom? 9. What are you afraid of?
Field Trip: What to Expect Thank you for joining us for Shaping a Nation. Over 2 hours, your students will experience the mansion at Tudor Place with hands-on activities: House Tour Students tour the garden with their Museum Teacher and explore age-appropriate, seasonal experiences that may include: Exploring documents relating to the Revolutionary War and Tudor Place Investigating historical objects and their functions using reproductions Examining objects used by George and Martha Washington Considering George Washington s evolving views about slavery Thinking about different perspectives on the Revolutionary War Please note that activities vary based on time limitations and the interests of students. Workshop: Act Against the Acts! Students will return to our classroom, housed in a 1914 garage, and review the concepts they explored in the house. They will be divided into groups, and each group assigned one of the Parliamentary Acts (Molasses Act, Sugar Act, etc.) that led up to the Revolutionary War. The students will then create protest signs against their group s Act and hold a march at Tudor Place.
Post-Visit Activity Listed below are activities that you can use with your class after visiting Tudor Place. All activities meet local and national curriculum standards. Activity: Independent or Loyal? During their visit to Tudor Place, students explored many of the motivations for America s declaring independence from Great Britain. During the Second Continental Congress, the secretary for which was Charles Thomson, each colony voted for or against adopting the Declaration of Independence. One way that citizens of each colony tried to influence their delegates was through petitions. A petition is a letter from a large group of people. One of the challenges in writing a petition is in making it specific enough to be persuasive but general enough that lots of people will sign on to it. In this activity, students write petitions to convince a colony to vote for independence. Students should choose one of the thirteen colonies to try to influence, and research reasons that that colony might vote for or against independence. The student should write a petition attempting to persuade the delegate to vote for independence. The petition should include clear reasons why independence is the best idea for that state. Students can then sign one another s petitions. Take it further: have students research a current issue and write a petition to their state or District government outlining their ideas about how the issue should be resolved.
Glossary Artifact An object that was made, modified, or used by humans in the past for a useful purpose. Boston Massacre An occurrence in 1771 in which a group of colonists encountered British troops in Boston, Massachusetts; the conflict resulted in the deaths of three colonists. Boston Tea Party A reaction to the Tea Act (see below), this resulted in 1773 when a group of men boarded a British ship that had recently docked in Boston Harbor and dumped the tea into the harbor. Boycott to refuse to buy. Colony A body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland. Coercive Acts The group of acts forced on the city of Boston by Britain as a reaction to the Boston Tea Party (see above); the main effects of these acts closed the port of Boston and brought the Massachusetts government under British control. Declaration A formal statement. French and Indian War A war fought in North America between Britain and France from 1754 to 1763. Import To bring in. Intercept to capture. Interpret To explain. Loyalists The name used to refer to the group of people who sided with, and fought for, the British during the American Revolution (see below). Patriots The name used to refer to the group of people who sided with, and fought for, the thirteen colonies during the American Revolution (see below). p. 16 Quartering Acts the act imposed on the colonies by Britain in 1765 that required colonists to provide housing and supplies to British troops. Reproduction a present day copy of an original artifact. Revolution an uprising by the governed with the goal of taking over the government. Sons of Liberty a political group made up of people who supported American independence.
Stamp Act the act imposed on the colonies by Britain in 1765 that taxed all paper goods and documents. Sugar Act the act imposed on the colonies by Britain in 1764 that taxed sugar and non-british goods shipped to the colonies. Tea Act the act imposed on the colonies by Britain in 1773 that reduced the tax on tea imported (see above) from Britain. Townshend Acts the acts imposed on the colonies by Britain in 1767 that taxed glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea.
Additional Resources Resources on the American Revolution from Colonial Williamsburg http://www.history.org/history/revolution.cfm Timeline of the American Revolution from the British perspective, British Library https://www.bl.uk/the-american-revolution/articles/american-revolution-timeline# Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia https://www.amrevmuseum.org/ Myths of the American Revolution, Smithsonian https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/myths-of-the-american-revolution-10941835/ America s Founding Documents, National Archives https://museum.archives.gov/founding-documents