5th grade Archives | America's Founding Era Education Forum (AFEEF)

Painting of the Committee of Five presenting the Declaration of Independence to Congress

walt
July 16, 2026

Foundations of America: Upper Elementary Curriculum

A multi-lesson unit for grades 4–5 that shows how the ideas of liberty, self-government and the rule of law became the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, using...

Colonists dumping chests of tea into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party

walt
July 16, 2026

Why Did the Boston Tea Party Happen?

In December 1773, colonists in Boston dumped 342 chests of British tea into the harbor. Students investigate the Tea Act, “taxation without representation,” and how Britain responded.

walt
July 16, 2026

Founding Documents Primary Source Set

A classroom set of the key documents of the American founding, from the Declaration of Independence to the Bill of Rights, with student-friendly background for each source.

Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart

walt
July 16, 2026

George Washington and Leadership

Students explore how George Washington led the Continental Army, presided over the Constitutional Convention and, as first president, set precedents by stepping down after two terms.

1768 view of Boston Common in colonial Massachusetts

walt
July 16, 2026

Colonial Life in 13 Colonies

A unit for grades 4–5 on everyday life in the thirteen English colonies, comparing New England, the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies and how colonists governed themselves.

Painting of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787

walt
July 16, 2026

The Constitution: Creating a New Government

Students learn why the founders replaced the Articles of Confederation, how the 1787 Constitutional Convention reached the Great Compromise, and how the Constitution separates power.

Illustration of English settlers landing in Virginia in 1607

walt
July 16, 2026

Jamestown: The First Permanent Colony

A short video introduction to Jamestown, founded in 1607 as the first permanent English settlement in North America, and the people, hardships and ideas that shaped it.

The engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence

walt
July 16, 2026

The Declaration of Independence (Plain Language)

A plain-language version of the Declaration of Independence that helps students understand its famous opening ideas and the complaints colonists listed against King George III.

The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution

walt
July 16, 2026

Bill of Rights for Kids

An introduction to the first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, and the everyday freedoms they protect, such as speech, religion, the press and fair trials.