Program Guide: From Dawn to Dusk: Slave Life at Mount Vernon
Content Provider: George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate
Contact Information:
Crystal McCliggott
cmccliggott@mountvernon.org
Po Box 110
Mount Vernon, VA 22121
United States
Phone: (703) 799-8627
Program Title: From Dawn to Dusk: Slave Life at Mount Vernon
Target Audience: Education: Grade(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Public Library: Library Patrons
Primary Disciplines: Performing Arts, Social Studies/History
Secondary Disciplines: Character Education, Fine Arts, Sciences
Program Description:
Students will meet Billy Lee, one of the slaves that lived and worked on George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate. Billy Lee served as Washington's personal valet, even riding alongside the General through the Revolutionary War. At the time of Washington's death in 1799, there were over 300 slaves on the five farms that made up Mount Vernon. As a working plantation, slaves worked from dawn to dusk in the fields, stables, and gardens, and at the mansion house caring for the Washington family and their many guests. Billy Lee will give students a glimpse into both the life of an 18th century slave, as well as the personal life of our nation's first president.
Program Format:
- This program begins with a brief introduction to Mount Vernon and the slave that will be portrayed.
- The slave interpreter will do a brief monologue that describes their life at Mount Vernon.
- Students can then ask questions to the slaves 'in character.'
- If the teacher would like, the first person interpreter will come out of character to talk about how they prepare for their role and their experiences as a historical actor.
Objectives:
The participant will:
- learn about colonial life at Mount Vernon
- compare the lives of the Washington family to the slave workers on the estate
- engage in conversation with a historical character
Vocabulary Words & Definitions:
Plantation- a large farm or estate on which a crop such as tobacco, cotton, or wheat is farmed, usually by enslaved workers.
Slave- a person who is forced to work and is the property of another person.
Participant Preparation:
Please have students brainstorm questions for the first person interpreter before the program begins. For groups over 30, please choose at least ten students to ask pre-determined questions and have them sit at the front of the class.
Suggestions for Pre Program Activities:
We highly recommend viewing the teaching resources at www.mountvernon.org/learn or on our blog for educators, www.georgewashingtonwired.org.
Supplemental Resources:
www.mountvernon.org/learn
www.georgewashingtonwired.org
Teachers will also receive our new CD-ROM, George Washington: Lessons from Mount Vernon, with over thirty lesson plans, elementary activity sheets, a PowerPoint, and Image Gallery.
National Standards to which this program aligns:
National
NSS-USH.K-4.3 Social Studies
THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES: DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES AND VALUES AND THE PEOPLE FROM MANY CULTURES WHO CONTRIBUTED TO ITS CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL HERITAGE
NSS-USH.K-4.1 LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, NOW AND LONG AGO