Shaping the Constitution: A View from Mt. Vernon 1783-1789

FAIN: BH-50272-08

Bill of Rights Institute (Arlington, VA 22203)
Claire McCaffery Griffin (Project Director: March 2008 to August 2008)
Jason Ross (Project Director: August 2008 to May 2010)

The Bill of Rights Institute proposes to conduct two professional development programs for a total of 100 teachers at the home of George Washington. These programs would be led by master teachers and scholars, and would center on Mount Vernon's role as a setting for the conversations that helped shape the U.S. Constitution. Teachers will read both primary and secondary sources, with an emphasis on correspondence between Washington and visitors to Mount Vernon. They will also develop classroom activities using the knowledge and tools gained at Mount Vernon. With deeper knowledge of our Founding principles, teachers will leave this program better able to encourage their students to understand what it means to be an American.