Introduction:
"The times in our country have changed since this address was first made public. However, those principles that guided our first president[...] are still just as valid today as they were then. I only hope we have the sense to follow them."
Those words were written by Sen. Donald Stewart of Alabama in 1980. His words along with other senators grace the pages of the book pictured on the right. Since 1862, Washington's Farewell Address, that you learned about in the previous lesson, has been recited in the Senate every year in late February. It was petitioned to be recited as a morale-boosting gesture during the darkest days of the Civil War.
Every year since 1896, the Senate has observed Washington's Birthday by selecting one of its members, alternating parties, to read the 7,641-word statement in legislative session.
At the conclusion of each reading, the appointed senator inscribes his or her name and brief remarks in the black, leather-bound book that is pictured above. Early entries in the notebook were typically brief explanations of the practice, accompanied by signature and date. Often, several entries appeared on a single page. In more recent years, entries have grown more elaborate and have included personal stories or comments on contemporary politics and policy.
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Directions:
For this activity you are going to be reading some of the responses that senators have written in the book. You will then answer a few questions and complete a creative writing assignment.
1) Follow the link below here to the U.S. Senate website. Choose a couple of entries to read over. The ones that are hyper-linked in red will take you to their entry.
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Washingtons_Farewell_Address.htm
2) Choose one of the entries hyper-linked below. On a sheet of paper, I would like you to complete the following: summarize their entry in a short 3-5 sentence paragraph. Then, pretend you were chosen this year to read the farewell address to the Senate. Write down your entry into the journal. Think about why it is being read, what Washington is saying, and what your reaction is to the text. Try using reading response strategies like Connections, Inferences, Questions, etc.
John Breaux S.I. Hayakawa Barry Goldwater George Voinovich
"The times in our country have changed since this address was first made public. However, those principles that guided our first president[...] are still just as valid today as they were then. I only hope we have the sense to follow them."
Those words were written by Sen. Donald Stewart of Alabama in 1980. His words along with other senators grace the pages of the book pictured on the right. Since 1862, Washington's Farewell Address, that you learned about in the previous lesson, has been recited in the Senate every year in late February. It was petitioned to be recited as a morale-boosting gesture during the darkest days of the Civil War.
Every year since 1896, the Senate has observed Washington's Birthday by selecting one of its members, alternating parties, to read the 7,641-word statement in legislative session.
At the conclusion of each reading, the appointed senator inscribes his or her name and brief remarks in the black, leather-bound book that is pictured above. Early entries in the notebook were typically brief explanations of the practice, accompanied by signature and date. Often, several entries appeared on a single page. In more recent years, entries have grown more elaborate and have included personal stories or comments on contemporary politics and policy.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Directions:
For this activity you are going to be reading some of the responses that senators have written in the book. You will then answer a few questions and complete a creative writing assignment.
1) Follow the link below here to the U.S. Senate website. Choose a couple of entries to read over. The ones that are hyper-linked in red will take you to their entry.
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Washingtons_Farewell_Address.htm
2) Choose one of the entries hyper-linked below. On a sheet of paper, I would like you to complete the following: summarize their entry in a short 3-5 sentence paragraph. Then, pretend you were chosen this year to read the farewell address to the Senate. Write down your entry into the journal. Think about why it is being read, what Washington is saying, and what your reaction is to the text. Try using reading response strategies like Connections, Inferences, Questions, etc.
John Breaux S.I. Hayakawa Barry Goldwater George Voinovich