Sacred Honor Study Guide, Colony 10: Virginia

Virginia was the oldest permanent English colony and one of the most influential, and the most conflicted. It gave the Revolution its commander, its resolution for independence, and the man who wrote the Declaration. It was also a plantation society built on slavery, and this guide does not look away from that.

This guide introduces seven signers. George Wythe was the teacher who trained Jefferson and Marshall, and who was murdered by a grandnephew greedy for his inheritance. Richard Henry Lee moved the twelve words that began it all. Thomas Jefferson wrote the most important sentence about human equality in history while owning hundreds of enslaved people, the author and his contradiction. Benjamin Harrison presided over the debates. Thomas Nelson Jr. ordered cannon fire on his own house during the siege of Yorktown and died broke. Francis Lightfoot Lee and Carter Braxton, the quiet one and the doubter, complete the delegation.

The Hero of Your Story moment belongs to Thomas Nelson Jr., the man who aimed the guns at his own home rather than spare it.

INSIDE THIS GUIDE:

• The Virginia Colony Introduction
• Profiles of all seven Virginia signers
• A Primary Source Encounter in the founders' own words
• Explorer Questions (grades four through six) and Challenger Questions (grades seven through twelve)
• Vocabulary Builder, Discussion Questions, and a hands-on Activity
• A Faith Connection drawn from the colony's story
• The Hero of Your Story moment and a student reflection page

Honest history, devotional depth, and real conversation for your family or classroom. A branded navy-and-gold PDF in the Sacred Honor series.

Part of the 250th Anniversary Founders Reference System. Save by purchasing the complete thirteen-colony set.