Patrick Henry stood in front of Virginia’s capitol building and read aloud the Declaration of Independence, reminding the gathered crowd of the litany of abuses committed by George III as catalogued by fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent… Read More Two Days in Williamsburg (and a Night in Jamestown)

The polished wood gleams in the glow of flickering candles. It’s nighttime, and little moonlight breaks through the circular window panes in their cream-colored frames. Several dozen visitors have gathered in the courtroom of Colonial Williamsburg‘s dull-red brick Capitol building to serve as the jury in a recreated trial of Grace Sherwood, the “Virginia witch”.… Read More Cry Witch!

As General George Washington fought through the darkest hours of the War for American Independence, his wife was often by his side. A woman of great courage and character, Martha Washington followed her husband from army camp to camp, bringing with her as much food, cloth, and other provisions as her carriages could hold. At… Read More Martha Washington Visits the Capital

After the reading of the Declaration of Independence, residents of colonial Williamsburg wonder what it means for them, in the Revolutionary City skit “That Freedom Ain’t for Me”. One such resident was Lydia Broadnax, a literate slave in the home of George Wythe, whose name appears first among Virginians to sign the document. Working in… Read More “That Freedom Ain’t for Me”