Hamilton Musical Character: George Washington

In this 60-minute class, we will gain general knowledge about George Washington who is called the father of America. We will use the book "Who Was George Washington".   The book is appropriate for young readers age 8 to 12 years old or U.S. grade levels from 3 to 7.

We will discuss the early life of George Washington as a farmer and surveyor. Then the class will discuss his role as a statesman in the Continental Congress and the Commander General in the American Revolutionary War. Finally, we will discuss his presidency and legacy. Since this is a 60-minute class, we will only have time to mention briefly that George Washington was a slaveholder and he depended on enslaved people and children to build and maintain his plantation, Mount Vernon. As a young man, he accepted the institution of slavery but as he grew older he questioned it.  In public life, Washington avoided talking about slavery realizing that bitter debates could destroy the new country  (United States).  At the time of his death,  all of his slaves were to be freed after the death of his wife, Martha. However, Washington only owned 123 individuals out of 317 enslaved people.  The rest (194 individuals) was owned by Martha Washington's deceased first husband who did not leave a will. These slaves were return to her deceased first husband's family estate.   However, he never freed any of his slaves while he was alive. Washington was not a perfect man.  But he was the only slave-holder Foundering Father to do so. The class will also discuss George Washington's portrayal in the musical Hamilton.  I will use slides to highlight the main points in the book. For the last half of the class, we will play a game (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or Play Kahoot!) to reinforce key points in George Washington's life. I don't expect students to have prior knowledge of George Washington. I request that students have read the book before class. Students will participate in either in classroom discussions or games.