Teaching with Historic Places has posted on the web the following lesson plans that help tell the personal and political stories of some of our presidents. These lessons, based on sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are free and ready for immediate classroom use by students in history and social studies classes.

• The Washington Monument: Tribute in Stone
  Understand why George Washington was so revered during his lifetime and beyond, and learn why it took 100 years to complete this famous monument in his honor.

• The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Documenting the Uncharted Northwest
  Learn how Thomas Jefferson's vision of western expansion resulted in the 1804-1806 expedition which effectively opened the Northwest to the influence of the United States, established relations with numerous American Indian nations, and gathered useful scientific documentation.
  

• Thomas Jefferson's Plan for the University of Virginia: Lessons from the Lawn
  Learn about the multifaceted intellect of Thomas Jefferson and how he fused his abilities as an architect, educational and political theorist, and politician to create a revolutionary new setting for higher education in the new American republic.
  

• Memories of Montpelier: Home of James and Dolley Madison
  Visit the Madisons' plantation home and their world of social prominence, and explore some contemporary views of slavery.

• The Battle of Horseshoe Bend: Collision of Cultures
  Consider the complex political and cultural differences that existed between European Americans and American Indians during the early 19th century, and learn how the campaign against the Creeks increased Andrew Jackson’s popularity among American citizens, which helped him win the presidency.

• Martin Van Buren's "Return to the Soil"
  Follow Van Buren's life and political career from his youth in Kinderhook, New York, to his retirement years at Lindenwald.

• Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial:
  Forging Greatness during Lincoln's Youth
  Meet the people and learn of events that influenced the development of Abraham Lincoln's character and personality as a youth on the Indiana frontier.

• Lincoln Home National Historic Site:
  A Place of Growth and Memory
  Learn how Abraham Lincoln's belief in freedom and democracy, his eloquence, and the support of family and community propelled him to the White House and uplifted him through the turbulent Civil War.

• Choices and Commitments: The Soldiers at Gettysburg
  Trace the course of this Civil War battle and consider the wrenching personal choices that were made by soldiers on each side, and evaluate Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and its impact in regard to the occasion it was written to commemorate.

• Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site: Birthplace of the Modern Presidency
  Examine the circumstances under which Theodore Roosevelt first became President of the United States and how his policies and actions modernized the presidency. (National Park)
  

• Growing into Public Service: William Howard Taft's Boyhood Home
  Visit the home of the only man to serve the country both as president and chief justice, and meet the rest of his public service-oriented family.

• Woodrow Wilson: Prophet of Peace
  Examine Wilson's struggle to achieve lasting world peace following World War I.

• Herbert Hoover: Iowa Farm Boy and World Humanitarian
  Consider the impact of Hoover's boyhood years on his desire to help starving children as the administrator of the Belgian Relief Commission during World War I.

• Springwood: Birthplace and Home to Franklin D. Roosevelt
  Understand how Springwood was the keystone in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's public as well as private life by playing host to some very dramatic events in American history.

• Harry Truman and Independence, Missouri: "This is Where I Belong"
  Learn why the life of the 33rd U.S. President serves as an example of civic duty and explore the town that helped form his character.

• Thaw in the Cold War: Eisenhower and Khrushchev at Gettysburg
  Delve into a superpower meeting and see how President Eisenhower's diplomacy temporarily eased Cold War tensions.

• Birthplace of John F. Kennedy: Home of the Boy Who Would Be President
  Visit JFK's birthplace and consider the effects of culture and community in shaping character and personality.

• President Lincoln's Cottage: A Retreat
  Explore President Abraham Lincoln’s life at a country retreat during summer months and examine the work he completed there on the Emancipation Proclamation.

 
To learn more about TwHP's other lessons, visit the Lesson Plan Descriptions page.