Contributor mountvernon.org

Update
01-01-2015
Content Type
Lesson Plan
Grade Level
Ninth grade, Tenth grade, Eleventh grade, Twelfth grade
Object Type
PPT
License
Read the fine print

Only two letters from George Washington to Martha Washington are known to exist, as Martha destroyed personal correspondence after his death. From these two surviving documents, historians have long tried to analyze the relationship between the two. In this assignment, students will perform their own analyses by reading the letters and writing an original English sonnet—a poetic form often used to convey themes of love, romance, and relationships—from George Washington to his wife, Martha.