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One visit to Colonial Williamsburg and it is hard not to stand back and be impressed by what is indeed a thrilling and awesome achievement. Once home to the budding ideas of independence and democracy and a catalyst to revolution, this historic town was literally restored from the ground up. Today it is a living and working town on 173 acres, with over 500 historic buildings. But more than just a snapshot of 18th-century life, Colonial Williamsburg serves as a testament to a time when colonists started down the path toward becoming Americans. The motivating force behind the town's ongoing operation is the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a group of dedicated men and women with shared values and a shared mission:
To help the future learn from the past...
by preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg. by engaging, informing, and inspiring people as they learn about this historic colonial capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape our new nation.
To understand the Foundation's goals, you must know Colonial Williamsburg's history:
After serving as the capital of Britain's largest and most powerful colony and then as the seat of Virginia's government, Williamsburg saw history's path veer away. When Richmond became Virginia's new capital in 1780, Williamsburg was left a quiet country town with fond but fading memories. Later, the Civil War left scars in Williamsburg, but neither time nor war could extinguish its brilliance.
The town stirred excitement in the Reverend Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin when he arrived in 1903 as rector of Bruton Parish Church. On evening walks, he sensed the patriots' unseen presence. "They were glad and gallant ghosts," he wrote, "companions of the silent hour of reverie." Inspired, Dr. Goodwin pursued a dream of restoring his beloved town.
In 1926, one man's tireless quest met another's visionary generosity. Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., undertook restoration of the colonial capital on a scale never before attempted in American history.
Legions of architects, archaeologists, and historians worked with masses of data. The earth yielded old foundations, walls, and cellars. Buried fragments of marble, brick, hardware, and tiles rendered authentic architectural and ornamental clues. When, in 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the restoration, he told the nation, "The atmosphere of a whole glorious chapter in our history has been recaptured.
Smith, Carter. Daily Life, A Sourcebook on Colonial America: The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Connecticut 1991
Cox, James A. "History.org: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Official History and Citizenship Website." The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. N.p., Spring 03. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. .
As the regions began to expand and develop, their motivations for settlement helped to mold their societies. New England was a place where men sought refuge from religious persecution and was established as a haven for religious refugees. Despite this reason for settling, the New Englanders still attempted to spread their own beliefs of religion. As illustrated by John Winthrop in his Model of a Christian Charity, he preached to his fellow colonists that “we shall be a city upon a hill” (Doc A) exemplifying the Puritans’ aspirations of a Holy Utopia. He and countless other New Englanders practiced the belief that they must all work together. They were determined to “mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work.” The Articles of Agreement plainly laid out the basis for the New England region. These articles made New England a cosmopolitan mix of rich and poor families, all being in possession of land and resolute in doing God’s work (Doc D). However, while the New Englanders settled to create a Holy Utopia, the people of the Chesapeake were concerned not only with their religious freedom, but also ...
The Virginia colony was advertised as a place that was “commendable and hopeful [in] every way” by the British (doc 8). The reality of life in Virginia for the early settlers, however, was very different. While it is true the land was plentiful and new opportunities were available, most did not have the opportunity to capitalize on those opportunities as they were busy trying not to die. The first colonists faced both internal and external threats as they tried to build a life in Virginia. Three constants of life in early Virginia were suffering, rigidity in government, and the permeation of religion in all things.
...lothing: A Glossary of Terms : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. .
"History.org: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Official History and Citizenship Website." We are starved : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter07/starving.cfm (accessed April 1, 2014).
"Williamsburg, June 8." Extract of a letter from London, March 17, 1769. Williamsburg: The Pennsylvania Gazette, June 1769.
Fox, Frank W., and Clayne L. Pope. City upon a Hill: The Legacy of America's Founding. Provo,
Further, Daughan covers the British blockade on American ports and the Napoleonic Wars. First, the British blockade on 1813 made difficult for American flagships to leave ports because the British Navy blocked almost all American ports with the exception of New England which provided goods to the British Navy during the war. Secondly, Daughan adds that the Napoleonic wars had a major impact on the American local war; exclusively, Napoleon’s defeat in Russia gave more confidence to Britain for supporting the War of 1812 longer. In contrast, A.J. Langguth did not include in his book, Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence, any international aspect that might influence the War of 1812.
Elected in 1932 following the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt took on his presidency as a challenge to reform the United States by finding ways to provide a larger amount of people economic security in an unequal financial environment. To accomplish this goal, Roosevelt not only implemented a variety of New Deal programs under the categories of reform, recovery and relief, but also redefined what the word “liberty” meant for Americans.
The only memorial to the 26th president of the United States in the nation’s capital is a small island in the Potomac River. An architectural memorial and the restored natural landscape surrounding it together form a living memorial to the man known as the “Great Conservationist.” Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to make conservation of America’s natural resources a centerpiece of his domestic policy. For him, wise stewardship of land and wildlife made present and future growth possible. Almost 230 million acres of land came under the protection of the Federal Government during his term in office. Architect Eric Gugler and sculptor Paul Manship created the architectural memorial, with its open plaza and larger than life sized statue. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and his associate Henry Hubbard, created the plan that still guides maintenance of the memorial landscape.
Wolfe, Brendan. "Colonial Virginia." Encyclopedia Virginia:. Encyclopedia Virginia, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2014. .
Our nation's revolution was a great achievement in U.S History. With the dawn of a new nation, there would have to be a central location to make the new decisions of our country. Our capitol has stood as the heart of our country since the late 1700s. The United States capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. For almost two centuries it has housed the meeting chambers of the senate and the House of Representatives. Begun in 1793, the capitol building has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored. Today our capitol stands as a monument to the American people and their government. (AOC.gov)
Kate, Stanley & Murrin, John; Colonial America, Essay in Politics and Social Development; U.N.C. Press; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1983.
The History and Present State of Virginia was first published in 1705 and it was compromised of four parts: “The History of the First Settlement of Virginia”, “The Natural Productions and Conveniences of the Country”, “The Native Indians, their Religion, Laws, and Customs, in War and Peace” and lastly “The present State of the Country, as to the Polity of the Government, and the Improvements of the Land”. The book first appeared in London and it was three hundred pages of text with fourteen engravings. It was the best source of information on Virginia at its time. The book is formed of Robert Beverley’s personal observations and stories he heard. It also uses borrowed material, both published and unpublished alike, and it relies heavily upon