2002 Shaping the World: Conversation on Democracy
A Conversation with Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette

presented by:

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest
Blue Ridge Public Television
Virginia Department of Education
Virginia Satellite Education Network

Program Description

Students and teachers can join a conversation between Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette as students from Forest Middle School engage the two men on the topics of the American Revolution, Lafayette's role in that revolution, Jefferson's years in France as the U.S. Minister, the French Revolution, their military and political careers, and their views on the meaning of democracy and advice for the future.

In this interchange between Jefferson and Lafayette, students will have the opportunity to learn more about the men and their opinions on a variety of democratic issues, their work on the American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and their views and concerns for their respective countries. 

"Shaping the World: Conversations on Democracy" can assist teachers with the following Standards Of Learning

Lesson Plans and Curriculum
    Section I: Jefferson and Lafayette
    Section II: The Marquis de Lafayette - Fighting for American Independence
    Section III: Jefferson - United States Minister to France
    Section IV: Guardians and Defenders of Liberty and Democratic Principles

Other
     Vocabulary
     Bibliography & Websites  

Primary Sources
     Certificate for Revolutionary Medicine
     Declaration of Independence (transcription) - National Archives and Records Administration
     Declaration of Independence original - National Archives and Records Administration
     French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
     Intolerable Acts
    Jefferson letter to James Madison, Sep. 1, 1785
    Jefferson letter to George Washington, Dec. 4, 1788
    Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, Queries 14 AND 19, 146--49, 164--65
     Noah Webster's essay on education
     Poulson's Advetiser
     Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

Poplar Forest

In 1773, Thomas Jefferson and his wife, Martha, inherited approximately 4800 acres from the estate of John Wayles, Martha’s father.  Jefferson designed an octagonal villa and in 1806 traveled to Bedford County to oversee the laying of the foundation. Poplar Forest was to serve as a retreat for Jefferson and his grandchildren.  Poplar Forest was a working farm with more than sixty slaves living on the property.  The plantation was sold to William Cobbs after Jefferson’s death. The acreage dwindled and the house underwent many structural changes.  In 1984, the nonprofit Corporation for Jefferson’s Poplar Forest formed to rescue this landmark for the educational and cultural benefit of the public.  The exterior restoration of the house was completed in 1998 and earned an Honor award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Archaeology and restoration continue.  For more information on Poplar  Forest, call (434) 525-1806.

Blue Ridge Public Television

Since 1966, Blue Ridge Public Television has provided instructional television for western Virginia, and today broadcasts SOL-correlated programs to 39 school divisions with 197,000 students.  BRPTV works on-site with all communities of learners, including teachers, pre-schoolers, and adult learners. BRPTV sponsors Virginia’s JASON Project, Homework Helpline, Reading Rainbow Young Authors and Illustrators, Young Heroes, and the McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence.

Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Satellite Educational Network

The Virginia Satellite Educational Network (VSEN) provides advanced placement and foreign language courses to K-12 students. Programs that support the Virginia Standards of Learning for students, teachers, and administrators are also delivered through VSEN. The Department of Education and VSEN are pleased to make Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest's program available via satellite to students across the Commonwealth and nation.  

Curriculum researched and developed by Octavia Starbuck and Jackie Almond