Jefferson's Sons

You know what is probably difficult for a young teen to understand? That pride and shame can coexist. Sometimes an awful person does great things, or a good person does reprehensible things. A perfect example of such a dichotomy is Thomas Jefferson, one of our Founding Fathers.

I'm not here to debate whether he was a bad man that did good things or a good man that did bad things, but it's a great conversation to have with students who read Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

The man who gave us quotes like "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom" and "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government," was also the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, which says "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," owned slaves until the day he died. Not only that, he fathered four children with his slave, Sally Hemings.

Jefferson's Sons tells of life for his children at Monticello, his plantation in Virginia. Though they did receive marginally special consideration, Jefferson's children lived with their mother in the slave quarters until they reached adulthood, when they were permitted to leave and live as white men and women with the exception of one, Madison. You'll definitely need to read this book to learn why.

Not only will this book provide for rich conversation, it provides a great text to practice deep reading and using contrasts for comprehension. It's also a great compliment to U.S. history courses. 

If you'd like to learn how to adapt this book for your English classes, contact me.