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Practice dictation & shadowing on the daily life story: Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
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Colonial Williamsburg
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Travelers in the desert or the jungle sometimes see the remains of old cities.
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These cities were once large and prosperous, but something has changed.
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Perhaps the climate got drier or wetter.
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Perhaps the trade routes which had brought merchants to the city now went elsewhere.
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Perhaps enemies destroyed them, or perhaps disease or famine drove the people away.
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Other cities which were once important have become less so in time.
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Jamestown, VA, the first English colony in America, is now only an historic site.
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It began as the capital of Virginia, but when fire destroyed the government buildings in 1699, the capital was moved to nearby Williamsburg.
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Williamsburg was an important town for many years.
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The British governors lived there, and two of them worked on the plans for the town and its buildings.
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The College of William and Mary was established there in the 1690s, the second oldest College in America.
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As the capital, Williamsburg contained many public buildings, including a courthouse, a jail, a powder magazine, the governor's palace, and the government building.
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Of course, there were many private houses as well.
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From 1699 until 1780, Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia.
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Many people came there for government and legal business.
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It was also a social center with dances, fairs, horse races, and auctions.
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The governor and his wife provided expensive dinners and entertainment for their guests.
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Most of the important people in Virginia owned tobacco plantations.
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In 1612, John Rolfe had first raised tobacco to sell to England.
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Soon, tobacco farming was Virginia's most important business.
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Most planters were able to build large houses and buy slaves to do their work.
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One plantation owner is said to have owned 300,000 acres of land and 1000 black slaves, as well as having large amounts of money.
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The planters were the leaders of this colonial society, and they resented British interference in their local government.
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When England imposed taxes on the American colonists in 1765, it was a Virginian, Patrick Henry, who spoke against them.
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His words, Give me liberty or give me death, helped to inspire the American Revolution.
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As complaints about British rule increased, it was Virginians who led the rebels.
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George Washington became commander of the Revolutionary Army, and Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
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In 1780, the capital of Virginia was moved to Richmond.
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Williamsburg was now simply a small college town.
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Of local importance,
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not much changed in Williamsburg for many years.
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In the 20th century, the Reverend Dr.
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Goodwin, who was the priest at the Williamsburg church, had the idea of restoring Williamsburg to the way it appeared in colonial days.
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Goodwin approached John D Rockefeller Junior with his idea, and Rockefeller agreed to finance this project.
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Beginning in 1926, the old buildings of Williamsburg were restored to their original form.
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First were the college buildings, then the Rally Tavern, the Government Building, the Governor's Palace, and so on.
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Buildings that had been destroyed over time were reconstructed from plans and descriptions.
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Soon the restored buildings were open to the public.
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Guides dressed in 18th century costumes show visitors through the buildings and gardens.
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Visitors can also travel to nearby tobacco plantations.
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Now tourists who pay admission to visit this wonderful historic town finance much of the work of restoration and conservation.