Finding a starting point was especially challenging. The fifth grade curriculum was a moving target as I looked for resources while students moved forward in their studies. I also needed to select primary sources that were both approachable as well as engaging. Students had to have enough background knowledge to interact with the resource and it had to accomplish that task of understanding the man who was George Washington.
After much searching, I selected the moment George Washington was appointed to lead the Continental Army. In multiple accounts, it states that George Washington, after being selected, refuses a salary and asks for only his expenses to be paid. His gesture at this moment seemed to fit the noble character of George Washington, sacrificing for the betterment of the country. It is also a small moment that is told in multiple books in our library so I consider it part of the lore of George Washington.
But there had to be more to the story. I searched for primary sources that would help me understand this moment and understand the man. What I found surprised me, made me wonder, and expanded my idea of who George Washington was. I couldn't wait to share them with my students to see how they would interpret them.
The lesson started with a blank SmartBoard. I knew students had been talking about the American Revolution. Part of that involved George Washington's role in the war. I asked students to think about George Washington, not only during the Revolutionary War, but throughout his life. "You know a bit about George Washington. I know you've talked about him in class. If you had to use one word or even a short phrase, how would you describe George Washington?"
"Brave" "Courageous" "Strong" "Modest" "Honest" "Leader" "Kind" "Hardworking"
Next, students, in pairs, analyzed the Journals of the Continental Congress for either June 15th, June 16th, or June 17th, 1775 where Washington is appointed to lead the army. It is reported that Washington accepts and states "I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with," and asks to only be paid for his expenses. On June 17th, the Congress officially appoints Washington. This reinforces what can be found in many other books, but there was more information. Prior to Washington accepting the position, the Congress allowed $500 per month for pay and expenses for Washington. Here we have another piece of information. After sharing their analysis with the rest of the class, I again asked students to share a word or phrase that could describe Washington related to this event.
"Noble" "Put others first" "Humble" "Modest" "Trusted" "Patriot" "Commander in Chief"
All of these continue to fit with the persona of George Washington.
On their next visit to the library, we reviewed what students had discovered about George Washington. Then we looked at several pages of his Revolutionary War Expense Account as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army that was submitted to the Continental Board of Treasury. This is all in his own handwriting and is difficult to understand. To assist students in the analysis of the pages, they paired the page with a corresponding page from a secondary source, a 1917 book by John C. Fitzpatrick where he explains some of Washington's expense account in annotations.
As students analyzed the expense account, many had a noticeable reaction to what they read. I encouraged them to write these reactions down as reflections or questions on the Primary Source Analysis Sheet.
"Why would you need to buy curtains during a war?" "So unnecessary. 217 bottles of wine." "What are 'loaves of sugar'?" "He spent a lot of money." "Why did he get slippers? He's in war right now!"
There was a lot of conversation as students were investing themselves in trying to understand George Washington. Many students looked for justification. Students talked about how life was different and the possibility that drinking wine was more common. One student spoke about how Washington was leading his army for years and would need things other than military supplies. Another pointed out an amount of money that was given to a soldier's wife and reported in the expense account. Students were finding that George Washington was not one dimensional and were trying to make sense of that discovery.
After students finished their analysis, I shared a final secondary source from the National Archives showing the amount that George Washington incurred during the American Revolution, $160, 074. To more fully understand the number, I shared with students that there were large expenses for spies as well as supplies and materials for other soldiers, something not likely taken into account by the Continental Congress initially. Many students recalled the initial $500 monthly allocation suggested by the Continental Congress and that it was far exceeded by the amount George Washington spent over approximately 8 years.
I believe there was much more we could have uncovered about Washington with this activity, but our time was limited. I asked students, one final time, to share a word that could describe George Washington based on what we had analyzed that day.
"Smart" "Wise" Clever" "Not Wise" "Rich"
Given what students had analyzed, I think all of these traits are fair. More importantly, I think they are not all traits that typically fall under the persona of George Washington. Students had begun to look beyond that persona to understand and describe the person. In the meantime, students had investigated and analyzed papers dealing with the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Overall, I think this first investigation into George Washington was a success and I look forward to students building on it in future activities.
But there had to be more to the story. I searched for primary sources that would help me understand this moment and understand the man. What I found surprised me, made me wonder, and expanded my idea of who George Washington was. I couldn't wait to share them with my students to see how they would interpret them.
The lesson started with a blank SmartBoard. I knew students had been talking about the American Revolution. Part of that involved George Washington's role in the war. I asked students to think about George Washington, not only during the Revolutionary War, but throughout his life. "You know a bit about George Washington. I know you've talked about him in class. If you had to use one word or even a short phrase, how would you describe George Washington?"
"Brave" "Courageous" "Strong" "Modest" "Honest" "Leader" "Kind" "Hardworking"
Next, students, in pairs, analyzed the Journals of the Continental Congress for either June 15th, June 16th, or June 17th, 1775 where Washington is appointed to lead the army. It is reported that Washington accepts and states "I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with," and asks to only be paid for his expenses. On June 17th, the Congress officially appoints Washington. This reinforces what can be found in many other books, but there was more information. Prior to Washington accepting the position, the Congress allowed $500 per month for pay and expenses for Washington. Here we have another piece of information. After sharing their analysis with the rest of the class, I again asked students to share a word or phrase that could describe Washington related to this event.
"Noble" "Put others first" "Humble" "Modest" "Trusted" "Patriot" "Commander in Chief"
All of these continue to fit with the persona of George Washington.
As students analyzed the expense account, many had a noticeable reaction to what they read. I encouraged them to write these reactions down as reflections or questions on the Primary Source Analysis Sheet.
"Why would you need to buy curtains during a war?" "So unnecessary. 217 bottles of wine." "What are 'loaves of sugar'?" "He spent a lot of money." "Why did he get slippers? He's in war right now!"
After students finished their analysis, I shared a final secondary source from the National Archives showing the amount that George Washington incurred during the American Revolution, $160, 074. To more fully understand the number, I shared with students that there were large expenses for spies as well as supplies and materials for other soldiers, something not likely taken into account by the Continental Congress initially. Many students recalled the initial $500 monthly allocation suggested by the Continental Congress and that it was far exceeded by the amount George Washington spent over approximately 8 years.
I believe there was much more we could have uncovered about Washington with this activity, but our time was limited. I asked students, one final time, to share a word that could describe George Washington based on what we had analyzed that day.
"Smart" "Wise" Clever" "Not Wise" "Rich"
Given what students had analyzed, I think all of these traits are fair. More importantly, I think they are not all traits that typically fall under the persona of George Washington. Students had begun to look beyond that persona to understand and describe the person. In the meantime, students had investigated and analyzed papers dealing with the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Overall, I think this first investigation into George Washington was a success and I look forward to students building on it in future activities.
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