As the first, largest and most prosperous of the British colonies in America, Virginia provided four of the first five presidents of the United States — eight in all, more than any other state. In the Broadway musical HAMILTON (available through Disney+!), Alexander Hamilton tells of his frequent…
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In August 1619, “some 20 and odd” Africans arrived at Point Comfort, site of Fort Monroe in Hampton, after being forced from their villages in present-day Angola and pushed onto a Portuguese slave ship headed for the New World. Nearing its destination, the slave ship was confronted by two English…
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Join us during the month of July in the birthplace of American democracy at Jamestown for special programs, exhibits, and performances marking the 400 th anniversary of the First Representative Legislative Assembly in the New World. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND America’s first permanent English…
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Growing up in Virginia and knowing the amount of history that happened here is something I took for granted, as many do. School trips to places like Jamestown and Mount Vernon were never too far a drive, and even George Washington’s childhood home in Fredericksburg was only a stone’s throw…
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Welcome back to my blog post series, Come Home to Virginia – Black History Sites. I am a native and a resident of Virginia; my work as a historian explores public spaces with attention to visitor education and community engagement. This blog explores Black history across time and space. I look…
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Everyone knows that Virginia has no shortage of historic sites, from George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate to the Jamestown Settlement that explores the history of America’s earliest Colonial founders. But you may not know that these significant sites host period-themed holiday events. Learn about…
Read MoreVirginia history is more than we have been taught. Many know Virginia as the mother of Presidents. It is also the place where at least 500,000 enslaved people lived and worked when Americans fought each other in a civil war (1861-1865). Their presence and contributions have shaped the commonwealth…
Read MoreThis article is the seventh in a series commemorating the American Evolution – Virginia to America 1619-2019 . See articles one, two, three, four, five ,and six here. Many of the early settlers in Virginia were well educated. While it became commonplace for the highest placed colonists to send their…
Read MoreThis article is the sixth in a series commemorating the American Evolution – Virginia to America 1619-2019 . See articles one, two, three, four, and five here. From its first days as a colony, Virginia has been a land of industry and opportunity. As early as 1619, the new colonial governor Sir…
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While Virginia may have established the roots for a new form of government reflecting the will of the people, the role of women at different points throughout Virginia’s history largely reflects that of the rest of the Western world. With a few notable exceptions, until quite recently women’s roles…
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