Second+Independent+Assignment

Teaching American History: Beyond the Textbook

Independent Assignment 2

1. Read the following:

Jill Lepore’s article “His Highness” from the New Yorker, September 27, 2010 (included in your packet) http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/09/27/100927crat_atlarge_lepore

John Adams, Special Message to the Senate and House, May 16th 1797 (included in your packet) http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/ja97-03.asp

Martin Van Buren -- A couple of brief excerpts from The Life of Martin Van Buren by David Crockett (yes, that Davy Crockett!) Here is the Google books link http://books.google.com/books?id=YA0FAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=david+crockett+martin+van+buren&source=bl&ots=OI2timTmRH&sig=B5yb1AM4XU8VjogMLgvk1vnJwAY&hl=en&ei=YGUiTLaKEYOglAfy98GNBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

What questions would you develop to guide students in looking at these varied sources? What excerpts would you use?

2. Look at the portraits of Adams and Jefferson. (included in your packet) Think about the “Learning to Look Questions.”

3. Access these four sites for the Lansdowne Portrait of George Washington http://www.npg.si.edu/collect/lansdowne2.htm [] [] []

Which, is any, would you use? Why?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Pick one cartoon about Andrew Jackson from this collection and print it out. [] How would you use it?