This information will be useful for students who need a brief introduction to the way of life in Colonial Williamsburg. There are a variety of activities for students who have time to study Colonial Williamsburg before their arrival.


In-depth Activities:

• Option 1: This activity can cover 1-4 class periods, depending on the time available and whether the activity is done individually, with partners, or in small groups. This activity is ideal for group work, because it encourages positive group conversations and strengthens vocabulary skills. The students discover the importance of distinguishing between important information and interesting details.



1. Give each student a copy of the "Where?" information (see below) and allow time for reading. Be sure to read only one section at a time. When everyone has read the section, create a 20-word summary that incorporates what the students perceive to be the most important information. (If this is to be completed individually, each student will write a summary. The activity may also be done in groups.)
2. Have the students share their summaries with the class, and ask them to justify their ideas, if possible.
3. Ask students to read the next section, "What?" and again write a 20-word summary, but it must incorporate ideas from BOTH sections. Again, have the students share the ideas and discuss why they left out some information and added new information.
4. Continue this process until all four sections are summarized into one 20-word summary. Be sure to share and discuss the different groups' or individual's ideas.
5. Summaries may be posted on a class chart. Some students may not include an idea from each section if they do not feel it was important.


• Option 2: The preceding information may serve as a springboard for research groups while touring Colonial Williamsburg. This option is good for students and teachers who have a strong background knowledge of Colonial Williamsburg and its importance in the pre-Revolution time period.
1. As a class or in groups, choose to focus on a different aspect of Colonial Williamsburg, such as the layout of the city, the social structure of the community, the government, or the important events that led to the American Revolution.

Shorter Activities:

• Option 1: Assign one of the following four sections about Colonial Williamsburg (Who?, What?, Where?, Why?) to small groups of students, and give them time to read over the information. Also, give them time to identify and discuss what they feel is the most pertinent information. Next, students choose how they want to share that information with their classmates. Each group should be given 2-5 minutes to make its presentation. A class summary chart can also be created.



• Option 2: Jigsaw - Divide the students into groups of four. Make copies of each of the following topics (Who? What?,Where?, Why?), and distribute them so each student in the group receives a different topic. Allow appropriate time for each child to read and take notes on his/her topic. Each child should then share what was learned with the group. The other three students may choose to take notes so the important points will be recorded for future reference. A class summary chart can also be created.
  
  
• Option 3: Read the Who?, What?, Where?, Why? information aloud to the students. After discussing the main ideas, a class summary chart should be created to display in the classroom.
  
  

Who?

In the eighteenth century, there were three distinct social levels in Virginia; some of which are regularly portrayed in the form of costumed interpreters in Colonial Williamsburg today. The city was a community of merchants, tradespeople, tavern keepers, and laborers who interacted with those who served in the government. The upper level, or gentry, were professionals who worked with their minds. These men and women were usually born into this level of society. George Wythe and Peyton Randolph were among the white population that made up this class. The middling sort, or middle class, worked with their hands. Benjamin Powell, a general contractor, and Jane Vobe, the King's Arm Tavern keeper, were two members of this class that also included merchantsand artisans. The remaining population, both black and white, consisted of the lower sort. This class consisted of people from small tenant farms, itinerant travelers, servants, and the poor, and slaves.

Enslaved African-Virginians made up just over half of the population of Williamsburg. These men, women, and children were also part of the Williamsburg community. In the 1776 census, there were fewer than 15 free blacks living in the city.

What?

Representative government in Virginia began in 1619 in Jamestown. As the General Assembly evolved, it was comprised of the Council and the House of Burgesses, each of which met separately. The House of Burgesses, or lower house, consisted of members elected by free white property owners, over age 21, who were members of the Anglican Church. There were two burgesses from each county and one member each from Jamestown, Williamsburg, Norfolk, and the College of William and Mary. These men met in the east end of the Capitol. The Council, or upper house, was made up of twelve leading colonists appointed to serve for life by the king. The councilors assisted the governor and met in an elegant Council chamber in the west wing. This two-house system, based on Great Britain's Parliament, established not only Virginia's colonial government, but also the foundation of America's legislature.

Where?

Once the decision was made to move the capital from Jamestown to Middle Plantation, later to be called Williamsburg, an entirely new capital city was laid out on the site. Several important physical landmarks were central to the plan and still exist today. The "Main Street" or Duke of Gloucester Street, extends "uptown" from the College of William and Mary on the western end to "downtown" at the Capitol building on the eastern end. Designed to be 99 feet wide and nearly one mile long, this street was a broad, open avenue that highlighted the linear aspects of the city plan.

The large, open area in the center of town is known as Market Square. Located on this green area are the Magazine and Courthouse. In the eighteenth century, the square served as a town common where markets and fairs were held regularly.

To the west of Market Square, the city was laid out in the shape of a rectangle centered around Bruton Parish Church. Further to the west is the main building of the College, the Wren. The Church and the Wren are symbolic of the importance of the religious and educational institutions of the new capital. The Governor's Palace is located at the head of a wide, green avenue running north from the church.

East of Market Square, down Duke of Gloucester Street, is the Capitol. Taverns, where delegates would gather after the day's session adjourned, line both sides of the street between Market Square and the Capitol. The eastern end of Williamsburg is framed by two back streets, Nicholson on the north and Francis on the south. Trade shops are intermingled among the taverns and houses from one end of Duke of Gloucester Street to the other.

In the eighteenth-century capitol, cities were traditionally viewed as centers of learning, religion, government, and social events. As you walk along Williamsburg's main street, you will notice how the town's planners anchored the town on the College, church, and Capitol, the physical symbols of a traditional city.

Why?

In 1763, the French and Indian War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Two years later, Great Britain's Parliament enacted the Stamp Act in order to reduce the war debt. On May 30, 1765, Patrick Henry delivered his ringing "Caesar-Brutus" speech in opposition of the Act. The British Parliament passed the Townshend Duties which replaced the Stamp tax, in 1767, and included a tax on all imported goods. By December 1770, tempers had flared in Boston, and Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre stirred emotions to even higher levels. The Boston Tea Party took place in December 1773, and as a result, Boston's part was closed by an angry Parliament on June 1, 1774. Virginians expressed their sympathy for Bostonians by observing a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. George Washington recorded that he "went to Church and fasted all day" in Williamsburg.

The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1774, and Williamsburg's Peyton Randolph was elected president. In early 1775, Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech in Richmond. The "Shot Heard Round the World" was heard in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Only two days later the Williamsburg "Gunpowder Incident" occurred when Governor Dunmore ordered the stored ammunition removed from the Magazine on Market Square in the middle of the night. Soon after, George Washington was made commander-in-chief of the newly established Continental Army. In August of 1775, King George III declared the colonies to be in rebellion. In November 1775, Governor Dunmore issued a proclamation freeing any slave, owned by rebels, who would fight for the British.

By May 15, 1776, a Virginia Resolution for Independence was passed unanimously declaring "the united colonies free and independent states, absolved from all allegiance to, or dependence upon, the Crown or Parliament of Great Britain . . . ." This document was read to the Second Continental Congress, and by July 4, 1776, Jefferson's Declaration of Independence had been approved.