On Wednesday, Oct. 7, our seventh-grade Civics students received a visit from American founders Thomas Jefferson and Abigail Adams through the Founding Voices program.

Students took part in a dynamic educational experience that supports state standards, strengthens civic literacy and encourages them to connect with the ideas and events that shaped our nation. From the Stamp Act through the Intolerable Acts, students heard firsthand what life was like for the colonists as they moved closer to declaring independence. Thomas Jefferson even gave students a firsthand account of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

The Founding Voices program, an initiative of the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University, brings America’s founding era to life through engaging, in-school seminars designed specifically for middle school students. Through live historical interpreters, students engage directly with the founders and explore America’s founding principles.