Teacher Resources
Mount Vernon
This lesson uses William Lee's presence at every major battle and camp of the Revolutionary War to examine who is and is not visible in the historical record. Students analyze how Lee appears — and does not appear — in portraits, letters, and official accounts of the Revolution, and what his story reveals about the construction of Revolutionary memory. The lesson asks students to use the absence of evidence as evidence itself, and to practice the historical thinking skill of reading against the grain of sources written by people with interests in what they recorded.
Grade Range
7-9
Duration
2 class periods
Included
3 Resources
What's Included
Everything
You Need
- 5 primary sources with analysis prompts
- Quiz with answer key (5 questions)
- 3 printable handouts
Lesson Overview
This lesson uses William Lee's presence at every major battle and camp of the Revolutionary War to examine who is and is not visible in the historical record. Students analyze how Lee appears — and does not appear — in portraits, letters, and official accounts of the Revolution, and what his story reveals about the construction of Revolutionary memory. The lesson asks students to use the absence of evidence as evidence itself, and to practice the historical thinking skill of reading against the grain of sources written by people with interests in what they recorded.
Essential Questions
- How do we write history about people who left no documents of their own? What methods do historians use?
- What does William Lee's presence at every major battle of the Revolution tell us about who fought in the Revolutionary War?
- What does it mean to be present in history but invisible in the historical record?
Primary Sources
5 Sources for Analysis
PRIMARY · TIER1
The Diaries of George Washington, 1748-1799 (6 vols.)
University Press of Virginia (Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds.)
PRIMARY · TIER1
Lund Washington to George Washington: Mount Vernon Management Letters, 1775-1783
Library of Congress, George Washington Papers
View SourceINSTITUTIONAL · TIER1
Mount Vernon Research Library and Collections
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
View SourcePRIMARY · TIER1
Mount Vernon Slave Inventories and Will of George Washington, 1799
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association / Fairfax County Court Records
DATASET · TIER1
The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition
University of Virginia Press
View SourceLesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will identify William Lee's documented presence throughout the Revolutionary War
- 2Students will analyze how enslaved people appear and are absent from Revolutionary War portraits and documents
- 3Students will evaluate what Washington's will reveals about the relationship between Lee and Washington
- 4Students will practice the historical skill of reading against the grain of primary sources
Assessment
Mount Vernon in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.
What makes Mount Vernon significant in Revolutionary history?
multiple choice
Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
true false
Name one event that occurred in Mount Vernon during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more questions in the full packet
Ready to Print?
The full teacher packet includes cover page, lesson plan, all primary source worksheets, quiz, answer key, and standards alignment — formatted for classroom printing.