Skip to main content
Grade Level
All Grade Levels
3-5 (Upper Elementary School)
6-8 (Middle School)
9-12 (High School)
K-2 (Lower Elementary School)
Themes
All Themes
Be Washington
Business
Farming
Government
Leadership
Legacy
Personal
Presidency
Slavery
Virtual Tour
War
Women
Type
All Types
Activity Sheet
Classroom Resource
Coloring Page
Homeschool - Estate
Homeschool - Revolution
Homeschool - Road to Revolution
Homeschool Materials
Lesson Plan
Pre-Visit Materials
Primary Source Set
Website
Worksheet
Teach With
Everything
Biography
Documents
Food
Music
Objects
Place
Visual Resources

Using Political Cartoons to Understand History

Lesson Purpose

A lesson that uses political cartoons to engage students in a deeper understanding of George Washington's presidency. Students examine political cartoons, created in 2005 by well-known political cartoonists from newspapers across the country for the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center at Mount Vernon, to explore issues related to the president's title, the Jay Treaty, and the debate surrounding a national bank.

Tags

Lesson Objectives:

  • Use political cartoons as a devise for understanding three of the major issues that affected Washington’s presidency: the president’s title, the Jay Treaty, and the existence of a national bank.

Related Standards:

  • Reading and Writing Literacy in History/Social Studies
  • Reading Informational Texts
  • Analysis of Primary Sources
  • Foundations of the Political System
  • Principles of Democracy
  • Communication Strategies
  • Evaluating Data