When lecturing in interpretations of the War of 1812, you may wish to encourage greater student participation. Several students, perhaps three, may each be asked to prepare a five-minute statement expressing the viewpoint of a fictitious historical character on the very eve of the war. One student may speak as, perhaps, a Boston sailor; a second, as a shopkeeper from Kentucky; and a third, as a member of the South Carolina state legislature. The students, speaking in the character of the person selected, will explain their views on what should be done about the looming threat of war.

Obviously preparations for this exercise must be started a week or more before the class reaches consideration of the War of 1812, and students must be supplied with suggestions for material to read (see below). It is important as well that special assignments of this sort be equitably distributed to class members throughout the semester so that a perception of fairness is maintained and so that all students will have an opportunity to participate.

Before the student presentations, the instructor may give all class members 3" x 5" cards for writing one question directed to each of the three speakers. The purpose is to encourage students to listen attentively to one another as well as to the instructor. The procedure also provides a basis for discussion by permitting the instructor to select students at random and ask each one to pose a question.

The three student speakers may be directed to George R. Taylor, "Agrarian Discontent in the Mississippi Valley Preceding the War of 1812," Journal of Political Economy 39 (1931): 471-474ff., and to Margaret K. Latimer, "South Carolina--a Protagonist in the War of 1812," American Historical Review 61 (1955-1956): 921-929, in addition to the readings already noted and those in the Chapter 8 bibliography under The War of 1812 and Its Prologue.

Jefferson's views on race and his ownership of slaves have long troubled those who admire the author of the Declaration of Independence. The probability of a sexual liaison between Jefferson and a slave ratchets up the moral question to new heights. Ask students to deliberate on how and why this affects opinion about Jefferson. See Joseph J. Ellis, American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson (1997), and Annette Gordon-Reed, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy (1997).