THIS MONTHS THEME:  Thomas Jefferson

This exciting packet has lessons, activities, songs, and games for families to learn together about our Founding Fathers and the Constitution.  The Family Pack is divided into three parts:

1.  Parents you will find valuable background information about patriotic subjects that will give parents knowledge for teaching their children so that they can grow up understanding the basic principles upon which our nation was founded.  This month’s information is about Thomas Jefferson:

Who Was Thomas Jefferson?

Practically every American knows the name of Thomas Jefferson, but very few Americans know his story. We will first record a few biographical facts and then present Jefferson’s little‑known epoch in which he discovered the ancient formula for a society based on freedom, prosperity, and peace.

Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, up near the Blue Ridge Mountains of what is now the western section of the state of Virginia. By that time, George Washington was eleven years old. Up in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was thirty‑seven years old. He had already invented the “Franklin Stove” and was city postmaster. In Boston, Samuel Adams, who is often called the “Father of the Revolution,” was just graduating from Harvard with a master’s degree at the age of twenty‑one. Samuel’s younger cousin, John Adams, was eight years old when Jefferson was born. One day he would induce Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. Patrick Henry was seven years old. However, James Madison, who would have so much to do with putting Jefferson’s ideas into the Constitution, would not be born until eight years later.

Obviously, it was an illustrious age, and…

2.  Teens On the Constitutional Scene.  Many young people have been disillusioned about Thomas Jefferson, having been taught that he was an immoral man, father of slave children.  This month’s article straightens out this misconception with documentation.

In Defense of the Founding Fathers

Over the past few years, a number of attacks have surfaced on the moral integrity and life style of the Founding Fathers–especially Thomas Jefferson. 

In an internationally proclaimed article, researchers, using DNA evidence, have claimed that someone in the Jefferson line was the father of some of the children of one of Thomas Jefferson’s slave women.  In their usual fashion of rush to judgment, many reporters–smelling a “juicy story”–have stated unequivocally that the father of these slave children was none other than Thomas Jefferson himself.  This attack is not new, and surfaced its ugly head a number of times over the last 200 years.

In an excellent article published in The Freemen Digest in November of 1983, Dr.  Andrew Allison – author of the outstanding book, The Real Thomas Jefferson,– dispelled this whole argument by identifying those who began this fallacious lie.  In addition, he identified the fathers of these slave children.

In this first issue of “Teens on the Constitutional Scene,” we have included the entire article by Andrew Allison, so that youth everywhere can have confidence in defending America’s Founding Fathers…

3.  Liberty Belles and Beaus.  July’s fun packet for children has a story about Thomas Jefferson as a five-year-old boy in school.  There are pictures to download for the children to color and activities for them to do.  There is also sheet music of a song to learn about the Declaration of Independence that can be downloaded.  Here is a sample of the story:

The Longing

You will, of course, take notice, declared the schoolmaster to his class of boys, “that England’s position is particularly unique in her placement.  Pointing the hickory stick to a light green spot on the old blue and yellow map, he continued: To the north, note Scotland.  To the west, Ireland…A little boy named Tom sat at the back of the school room and yawned.  He was trying very hard to listen to the schoolmaster, but such big words!  And the morning hours seemed to be dragging on.  Tom looked towards the open door and sniffed the air.  Ahh!  The fragrance of fresh spring blossoms.  They seemed to call to him, Come out and smell my beautiful perfumes!  A bee buzzed nearby and seemed to say, I’m bizzzzzy azzzzz a bee, be-cuzzzzz of zzzzzzzo many zzzzweet zzzzzmelling flowerzzzzz!

Tom scratched his freckled nose as the clocked ticked on…