Examples of Historical Thinking - Jefferson's Confidential Letter to Congress - Reading the Document
Channel: teachinghistoryorg
Date: 2011-08-01

Historian Leah Glaser analyzes a letter to the U.S. Congress from Thomas Jefferson requesting funding for the Lewis and Clark expedition. In this letter, Jefferson explains his rationale and his vision for the future of the country. Glaser models several historical thinking skills, including:

    close reading of the letter to explore Jefferson's language and thinking about American Indians and the future of the United States;
    attention to key source information, such as the date of the letter and the audience; and
    placing the letter within a larger context, using it to explore Jefferson's vision of an agrarian nation, relations with American Indians, westward expansion, and political strategy in the early 19th century.

http://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/examples-of-historical-thinking/23420