Student Resources

• Engage Handout
• Thomas Jefferson and Prudence Narrative
• Virtue in Action Handout

Teacher Resources

• Analysis Questions 
• Virtue in Action  
• Journal Activity
• Sources for Further Reading  
• Virtue Across the Curriculum 

• Prudence: Practical wisdom that applies reason and other virtues to discern right courses of action in specific situations.  
• Sovereign: Possessing ultimate authority 
• Yeoman: Owner of a small amount of land. 
• Consolidation: Combining to make into one. 
• Assumption: To take responsibility for.  
• Apostates: A person who renounces a previously held belief. 
• Consternation: Another word for fear or anxiety.
• Ecstatic: Another word for overjoyed. 

Procedures 

• The following lesson introduces students to the civic virtue of prudence.  
• Students will engage with the story of Thomas Jeferson as they consider the question: How can prudence help leaders make decisions in difficult circumstances? 
• The main activity of this lesson requires students to analyze the story and actions of Thomas Jefferson. Students may work individually, in pairs, or in small groups as best fits your classroom. The analysis questions provided can be used to help students comprehend and think critically about the content. As the teacher, you can decide which questions best fit your students’ needs and time restraints.   
• Lastly, the lesson includes sources used in this lesson for further reading and suggestions for cross-curricular connections.

Engage

• Scaffolding Note: You may use this activity to prepare your students and introduce the vocabulary and ideas discussed in this lesson.  
• Essential Vocabulary: 
  • Prudence: Practical wisdom that applies reason and other virtues to discern right courses of action in specific situations. 
• Distribute the Engage Handout to students to complete before class or silently for the first 2-3 minutes of class. 
• Put students in small groups and have them share the decision they came up with in the Anticipate handout. 
• Invite students to share their decision with the class. You may run a classroom poll using Kahoot, Poll Everywhere, or a similar platform allowed by your school district, or via a class discussion.  
• Ask for volunteers to explain their thought process behind their decision. 
• Introduce the term prudence: Practical wisdom that applies reason and other virtues to discern right courses of action in specific situations.
  • Ask students if their decision in the scenario exemplified prudence. Why or why not?
  • What additional information (if any) would they want to help them make their decision? Why? 

Explore

• Transition to the Thomas Jefferson and Prudence Narrative. Students will learn and analyze the story of Thomas Jefferson and his prudential decision.
• Scaffolding Note: It may be helpful to instruct students to do a close reading of the text. Close reading asks students to read and reread a text purposefully to ensure students understand and make connections. For more detailed instructions on how to use close reading in your classroom, use these directions. Additional reading strategies are provided for other options that may meet your students’ needs. 
• Essential Vocabulary: 
  • Prudence: Practical wisdom that applies reason and other virtues to discern right courses of action in specific situations.  
  • Sovereign: Possessing ultimate authority 
  • Yeoman: Owner of a small amount of land. 
  • Consolidation: Combining to make into one. 
  • Assumption: To take responsibility for.  
  • Apostates: A person who renounces a previously held belief. 
  • Consternation: Another word for fear or anxiety.
  • Ecstatic: Another word for overjoyed. 
• Transition to the analysis questions. Have students work individually, with partners, or as a whole class to answer the questions. 
• Scaffolding Note: If there are questions that are not necessary to your students’ learning or time restraints, then you can remove those questions. 
• Analysis Questions 
  • What were some principles that guided Jefferson’s political beliefs? 
  • How did Jefferson display partisanship in ways that were problematic? 
  • Why were many Americans anxious about Napoleon’s plans for North America? How did that influence Jefferson in his policy decision regarding the Louisiana territory? 
  • Why did Jefferson consider calling for a constitutional amendment in order to acquire Louisiana? Why did he ultimately not do so? Do you think he made the right decision in doing so? 
  • Think of another example from U.S. history when an American acted with prudence. How did his/her prudent actions help benefit the country, even if it may have contradicted their personal beliefs? 

Assess & Reflect

Virtue in Action  

• Distribute the Virtue in Action handout. 
• Review the directions and the example scenario with students. Have students complete the handout and final reflection.  
• You may have students share their courses of action with a partner, in small groups, or ask for volunteers to share with the class. 

AND/OR

Prudence Journal Activity  

• Have students self-reflect and answer the following questions in their journal: 
  • Jefferson acted prudently by trying to unite the country after a contentious election. How are prudence and moderation related? How can both benefit a country with divided political beliefs? 

Extend

Sources & Further Reading  

• Explore the following list for additional sources and further reading on Thomas Jefferson.  
  • Appleby, Joyce. Thomas Jefferson. New York: Times Books, 2003.  
  • Boles, John B. Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty. New York: Basic Books, 2017.  
  • Kukla, Jon. A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America. New York: Knopf, 2003.  
  • McDonald, Robert M.S. Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson’s Image in His Own Time. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2016.  
  • Meacham, Jon. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. New York: Random House, 2012.  
  • Yarbrough, Jean. American Virtues: Thomas Jefferson on the Character of a Free People. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998. 

Virtue Across the Curriculum  

• Below are corresponding literature suggestions to help you teach about prudence across the curriculum. Sample prompts are provided for the key corresponding works. For the other suggested works or others that are already part of your curriculum, create your own similar prompts.    
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
    • Collin’s dystopian novel follows Katniss Everdeen as she competes in a yearly spectacle to control the people living in the totalitarian state of Panem. To what extent does Katniss use prudence in making difficult decisions to survive? To protect those she loves?  
  • Remember the Ladies: Women’s Right to Vote podcast on the Fabric of History  
    • In this thirty-eight minute podcast episode, Dr. Emily Krichbaum and Mary Patterson reflect on the movement for women to vote in the United States. To what extent did leaders in the women’s suffrage movement require prudence? Is their example relevant today? Explain.