With our nation’s 250th anniversary approaching, more and more teachers are looking for resources to teach the founding of America. And with different curriculums and classrooms across the United States, it’s important for such resources to be adaptable, relevant and accessible.
At George Washington’s Mount Vernon (the home of George Washington, located in Alexandria, VA), we’re proud to have a plethora of resources on the founding era for teachers to use and adapt to fit into their classrooms. From quick videos to interactive games, Mount Vernon has something for everyone. All resources are free, and the majority are designed with direct teacher input.
Mount Vernon has many primary resources curated just for educators. Our Education Collections features interactive, downloadable primary sources such as Washington’s Revolutionary War field bedstead, his Presidential Coat, and a 1793 spinning report that lists the names of ten enslaved women at Mount Vernon.
We also have a database that tracks the records of the people who were enslaved at Mount Vernon. This can be a powerful teaching tool in the classroom—it demonstrates the extent of enslavement at Mount Vernon, from the sheer number of names to small details within the primary source evidence.
Additionally, the Mount Vernon website contains hundreds of maps, letters, artifacts, and archaeological findings that are free for teachers to explore and use however they see fit. Maybe create a gallery walk with clothing and textiles. Or, have students create their own exhibit. With primary sources, the opportunities are endless.
Mount Vernon’s secondary sources for students and teachers are continuously growing and evolving. Right now, we’ve introduced new resource pages on Washington at War, Women in the 18th Century, the Founding of the U.S. Government, and Enslavement at Mount Vernon (with 18th Century Economics and Washington’s Leadership coming Fall 2025!).
Each of these pages contains an infographic, scaffolded activity suggestions, videos, and digital encyclopedia articles relevant to the topic at hand. And – these pages were all created through our Teacher Fellowship program, which means they were hand-curated by teachers like you!
We have a vast array of (free!) interactive tools accompanied by resource pages and teaching suggestions, making them easy to implement in your classroom. BeWashington is one of our more popular games, allowing students to make decisions like Washington in four key scenarios.
The Mount Vernon Virtual Tour allows you to explore the estate online. Recently, we’ve released ten short, recorded tours in English and Spanish aimed at grades K-3 that guide students through different spaces on the estate. These guided tours are perfect for individual or class exploration.
Another interactive tool is the Lives Bound Together Interactive Exhibit, which explores the stories of the people who were enslaved at Mount Vernon. This exhibit covers a wide variety of topics and includes helpful biographies that illustrate the lives of nineteen people at Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon offers a wide variety of videos, from quick, three-minute explanations to 25-minute films.
Ask Mount Vernon is a popular series, where local fifth and sixth-grade students ask common questions about George Washington and the 18th-century world, like “Why didn’t Washington become king of the U.S.A?” and “Did Washington have any friends?”. Mount Vernon experts answer these questions in two to three minutes, providing a quick, in-depth answer that students can easily grasp.
Other videos explore topics such as the formation of the Constitution, the history of Religious Freedom in America, and the Battle of Yorktown. Of course, Mount Vernon’s YouTube has other videos, such as demonstrations, interpretations, and storytelling.
At Mount Vernon, we’re always adding, expanding, and adjusting our educational resources. We know teachers’ lives are already busy enough – explore our website, and let us provide you and your students with useful, free tools to help facilitate learning in your classroom.
Jennifer Seiter is the Classroom Resources Specialist at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Since arriving at Mount Vernon in 2022, she has created hundreds of articles, webpages, and resources for teachers and students across the nation. Jennifer also runs the LifeGuard Teacher Fellowship program, a popular professional development opportunity that pays teachers to stay at Mount Vernon and create new classroom resources. Prior to arriving at Mount Vernon, Jennifer taught Pre-K while obtaining her Master’s in History at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
You can find Mount Vernon’s educational resources on the Mount Vernon educational resources webpage.
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