Teacher Resources
Alexandria
Inquiry Question
How do local documents become national ones? What path did the Fairfax Resolves travel from Alexandria courthouse to the Declaration of Independence?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
George Washington's Letters from Alexandria, 1769-1775
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, George Washington Papers
5 analysis prompts
Fairfax County Resolves, July 18, 1774
PRIMARY · Library of Congress
5 analysis prompts
Papers of George Mason, 1725-1792
PRIMARY · University of North Carolina Press (Robert A. Rutland, ed.)
5 analysis prompts
Port of Alexandria Customs Records, 1770-1785
PRIMARY · National Archives and Records Administration
5 analysis prompts
George Washington's Mount Vernon: Alexandria and the Revolutionary Context
INSTITUTIONAL · Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
5 analysis prompts
Downloads
Ready to Print
Student packet, teacher guide with answer key, and quiz — each formatted for classroom printing.
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Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will analyze the Fairfax Resolves as a primary source document articulating colonial constitutional grievances
- 2Students will compare the language and arguments of the Fairfax Resolves to the Declaration of Independence
- 3Students will explain how local political documents contributed to the development of national revolutionary ideology
- 4Students will evaluate George Mason's constitutional reasoning and its influence on Virginia's revolutionary legal framework
Explore Further
Alexandria in the Knowledge Graph
The lesson packet draws from these pages. Use them to extend the lesson or give students primary source context.
Comparative Study
Connected Towns
The corroborate prompts in the student packet point to these towns. Teachers can assign cross-town comparisons.
Mount Vernon
SHARED PERSON
George Washington's plantation estate was twelve miles downriver from Alexandria; he used Alexandria as his commercial port and civic center throughout his life and the war years.
Fredericksburg
SHARED PERSON
Washington's mother and sister lived in Fredericksburg; Washington traveled regularly between Alexandria, Mount Vernon, and Fredericksburg throughout the Revolutionary period. Hugh Mercer had commercial connections to both towns.
Mount Vernon
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Mount Vernon's plantation adjoined Alexandria, Washington's home port.
Assessment
Alexandria in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history. · 5 questions · Answer key in Teacher Guide PDF
What makes Alexandria significant in Revolutionary history?
multiple choice
Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
true false
Name one event that occurred in Alexandria during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more in the full quiz PDF
Ready to Print?
All three documents below — student packet, teacher guide, and quiz — are formatted for letter-size classroom printing.