FRAMERS OF THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
A WebQuest for
Sixth Grade American History
Designed by
Michele A. Linsky
mlinsky@keystonesavingsbank.com
Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits Teacher
“HELP WANTED”
Writers needed to frame important government document for the
people, of the people and by the people.
Candidates must be well-educated, possess excellent communication
skills, proficiency in writing, and have significant knowledge of current
political, economic and social issues.
Must be willing to travel, work in a team environment, embrace
compromise when necessary, and devote personal time beyond the standard work
day. Candidates should be
well-respected and well-known in their communities. Authoring of prior important government documents preferred, but
not required.
The Human Resources Department of the Second Continental
Congress is conducting interviews to fill the positions of Framers of the
Declaration of Independence. This group
will meet in Philadelphia in June 1776 to begin work on what promises to be an
important historical document. Your
group is an Executive Search Firm, hired by the Congress to fill these
positions. In your search, you’ve come
across several prominent American citizens who would appear to fit the bill nicely. Your job is to “sell” these candidates to
the Continental Congress as the best individuals to frame the Declaration of
Independence, by presenting Congress with resumes of five of your
best candidates. Your primary research tool will be the
Internet.
You are one of five “Headhunters” working
for your Executive Search Firm. Each of
you has the assignment of finding and selling one Framer to the Continental
Congress, to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1776, for
the purpose of writing the Declaration of Independence. (Coincidentally, there were five framers of
the Declaration.) We’ll assume you’ve
done your leg work, and each of you has a candidate to present to the
Congress. These candidates are:
Thomas Benjamin John Robert R. Roger
Jefferson Franklin Adams Livingston Sherman
The best way to “sell” these gentlemen to Congress as the
prime candidates to frame the Declaration of Independence is to present
Congress with their resumes. As a
headhunter for an Executive Search Firm, this is your area of expertise, and
the reason you were hired to find and present these candidates. In order to create a comprehensive resume on
your candidate, you will need to do some research. Recommended websites are listed below.
Your
research should include a personal profile, formal education, employment
history, political experience, social and community involvement, prior writing
experience, schools of thought, affiliations, and any other information on the
candidate, pertinent to his being selected for this prestigious and important
position. Remember, Congress’s first
impression of your candidate comes from the resume you will prepare. They will not approach your candidate for an
interview, if the resume you compile does not make him appear worthy of the
position.
Resources:
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/links.htm
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declaration
http://www.colonialhall.com/biodoi.asp
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/jefferson/declar-1
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/facts/index.htm
http://www.colonialhall.com/adamsj/adamsj.asp
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/livingston-r.htm
http://www.colonialhall.com/sherman/sherman.asp
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/jefferson.htm
For assistance in compiling your research into acceptable
resume format, you may wish to visit:
http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ecep/resume/step3.htm
As your research has shown you, Thomas Jefferson has been
credited with doing the majority of the writing of the Declaration of
Independence. However, each of the five
gentlemen you are presenting to Congress represents a member of the team sent
to Philadelphia to accomplish the task.
Accordingly, this project grade will represent a team effort. Each of you will receive a numerical grade,
representing the thoroughness of your efforts in researching and presenting
these candidates to Congress. You will
be graded on the content of the information compiled (i.e., did you address all
of the key issues spelled out in the Process section), as well as the format
and appearance of the resume. You each
have an opportunity to earn from 1 to 8 points, for a total possible team score
of 40 points. 1- represents a minimal
amount of research and a substandard resume presentation; 2-represents
acceptable amount of research and resume presentation; 3-represents above
average amounts of research secured and an attractive resume format; and
4-represents a significant amount of research beyond requirements, as well as
an exceptionally and professionally presented resume. Please keep these standards in mind as you compile your research
and create your candidate’s resume.
Good luck!
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1-Minimal |
2-Acceptable |
3-Above Average |
4-Excellent |
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Research |
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Resume |
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In selecting this WebQuest, you have chosen to learn more
about the Declaration of Independence and the most influential men involved in
its creation. I hope you found
researching the background and personal lives of these founding fathers
interesting. If you looked closely
enough, you should have found at least one interesting/unusual piece of
information on each of them – something standard history books don’t
offer.
If you want to take this exercise a step further, consider
this. Are there any other prominent
figures from the 1700s, who might have supplemented (or replaced) this team of framers? Noticeably absent from the framing team, and
the group of representatives who ultimately signed the document, are
women. While this is not surprising,
given women’s roles and rights during the time period, can you recommend a
woman/women that might have contributed to the framing of the Declaration of
Independence?
The idea for this WebQuest surfaced, as I was preparing for a
CLEP examination in American Government.
In addition to the websites listed in the Process section of
this WebQuest, I utilized www.google.com/images
for the pictures throughout. I also
used Government by the People, 2001-2002
Edition, by James MacGregor Burns, J.W. Peltason, Thomas E. Cronin, David
B. Magleby, and David M. O’Brien (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ,
Copyright 2002)
The designer of this WebQuest, Michele A. Linsky, is a magna
cum laude graduate of the prestigious DeSales University in Center Valley,
Pennsylvania. She is a certified
Elementary Education Teacher, specializing in the primary grades. Should you have questions or comments
regarding this WebQuest, you may contact Mrs. Linsky at mlinsky@keystonesavingsbank.com.