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3:00 The Revolution Takes Center Stage

In this scene: Even while public performances were banned by the Continental Congress, the theater continued to delight audiences and influence the political and social climates of the new American nation.
 

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Colonial Theater

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3:20 The Times that Try Men’s Souls

In this scene: The year is 1775. One of the country’s founding fathers recalls the recent events that began the American Revolution in Virginia. He calls the citizens to action and challenges them to consider their rights and responsibilities in a self-governing republic.
 
Listen to the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, or George Washington on issues like: the perils and injustice of human bondage, religion and the state, legal burdens on free blacks, the importance of private property, international relations and diplomacy, the consequences of waging war, and other debates that were cornerstones of the revolution, and the ideals of a new republic.

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Thomas Jefferson
Patrick Henry
George Washington

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3:35 JULY 1776: That Freedom Ain’t for Me

In this scene: Lydia Broadnax or Eve Randolph discusses the impact of the Declaration of Independence on their lives.

Lydia Broadnax is a slave in the household of George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence and mentor to Virginia's patriots. She frequently hears about liberty and equality, yet she knows these rights do not extend to her. 

Eve is a slave of Elizabeth Randolph, widow of Peyton Randolph, president of the first two Continental Congresses and speaker of Virginia's House of Burgesses. Less patient than Lydia, she flees with her son and is captured and then sold.

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Lydia Broadnax
Eve

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3:50 AUGUST 1777
Lady Washington Visits the Capital

In this scene: Martha Washington arrives in Williamsburg to great fanfare and celebration. She receives honors in her husband’s name for his service to “The Glorious Cause” of American liberty.

Martha Washington spends much of the Revolutionary War in camp with her husband, General George Washington, and his army. As mother, plantation mistress, slave owner, and military wife, she has multiple roles, each of which requires different talents.  Mrs. Washington is an important and intriguing personality. Like the rest of the gentry, she feels deeply responsible for the less fortunate.

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Martha Washington

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4:15 FALL 1793
Thy Rod and Thy Staff 

In this scene: Pastor Gowan Pamphlet, a former slave, discusses his vision for the black Baptist church he leads. He gains recognition for his congregation even as the shadow of slavery puts them all at risk.

Gowan Pamphlet is optimistic about the future. A seasoned and savvy pastor, Pamphlet tells his church, once little more than a ragtag prayer group, that it has been accepted into a regional Baptist association of mostly white churches. Some members are unhappy with the news, fearing he has lost respect for his heritage. Pamphlet eventually re-gains their trust.

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Gowan Pamphlet

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4:35 Looking Forward: A Founding Father Envisions the Future of the American Republic

In this scene: One of Virginia’s premier patriots sums up his experiences in Williamsburg and expresses his hopes for the future of the young republic.

He addresses such issues as westward expansion, partisan politics, regional sectionalism, and the fate of slavery. Hope is offered for the new constitutional government, economic growth, and America’s attraction to European immigrants.

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Thomas Jefferson
Patrick Henry
Marquis de Lafayette
George Washington

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Enemies of Government, Governor Dunmore Confronts the Assembly! May 26, 1774

In this scene: Lord Dunmore arrives at the Capitol unhappy with the House of Burgesses for their protesting the closing of Boston Harbor by the British government. What will he do?  How will the burgesses react to his announcement?  What does this mean for the people of Williamsburg?

In May 1773, Parliament passes the Tea Act to assist the financially tottering East India Company. The act provides that the Company could sell tea (still taxed and an item of protest) at temptingly low rates in America. In December 1773, a group of Bostonians, disguised as Indians, silently board a ship in Boston Harbor and dump the Company’s tea cargo overboard. As a result, Parliament passes the Boston Port Act, closing Boston Harbor until restitution is made for the tea. In protest, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other burgesses write a resolution declaring June 1, 1774, a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer in support of the Bostonians. Robert Carter Nicholas, the colony’s treasurer and head of the committee on religion, introduces the resolution to the House of Burgesses. It passes.

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Patrick Henry
Richard Henry Lee
Robert Carter Nicholas
Peyton Randolph
Thomas Jefferson

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The Gale from the North! April 29, 1775

In this scene: As Peyton Randolph prepares to return to Philadelphia, a rider brings news of battles at Lexington and Concord. How will this news affect Williamsburg?

On April 21, 1775, Lord Dunmore orders seamen from the schooner Magdalen to remove gunpowder before dawn from the Magazine. They retreat when interrupted by townspeople. Angry citizens gather at the courthouse and threaten to storm the Palace until Peyton Randolph, Virginia’s most influential politician and president of the Continental Congress, and other city fathers form a delegation to visit the governor. Dunmore, claiming he secured the powder to protect it from a rumored slave uprising, threatens to arm the slaves and burn the town if townspeople cause further disturbance.

Learn More:
Magazine
The Monstrous Absurdity: The Gunpowder Theft Examined

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What Must Be Endured

Kate must teach her children how to live with being enslaved. What advice might others in the enslaved community have for her? How might she and her children learn from the traditions of the homeland from which her people were stolen away?

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African Americans

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A House Divided. July 27, 1775

In this scene: Ariana Randolph, a Loyalist mother, and her daughter Susannah navigate their way through the gossip-riddled town. Mr. Randolph's loyalty to the British king is making their lives uncomfortable. Complicating matters, Edmund, the only son of the family, falls squarely on the patriot side.

An anonymous piece in the local newspaper insulted John Randolph for his Loyalist views and connection to Governor Dunmore. Teenaged Susannah is upset about the townspeople’s whispers and speculation. Mrs. Randolph lets it slip that the solution may be to leave Virginia, the only home Susannah has ever known.

Learn More:
The Randolphs: A Family of Influence

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To Be or Not . . . The Love Story Conclusion

The love that Edmund Randolph and Elizabeth Nicholas share for each other has survived the turmoil of an intense family feud. His father is steadfastly loyal to the British king. Her father is firmly patriotic. Can their love now endure the prospect of war for American independence?

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The Randolphs: A Family of Influence
Robert Carter Nicholas

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A Court of Tar and Feathers
September 3, 1775

In this scene: The men who are prepared to defend American liberty are bound together by the ties of honor and love of country. Challengers of their rights and liberties can face tar and feathering.

“Liberty poles,” symbols of freedom and serving as rallying points for American patriots, are erected in colonial towns. James Parker, a Norfolk merchant, writes that “a pole,” including a bag of feathers and a barrel of tar — symbols of intimidation — are set up in Williamsburg opposite the Raleigh Tavern. Williamsburg merchant Joshua Hardcastle is dramatically introduced to such intimidation while drinking at a tavern. An angry crowd gathers after Hardcastle speaks disparagingly of the American cause and of military volunteers.

Learn More:
The Alternative of Williams-Burg: "Monster madness... the Patriots are in high Spirits just now."
The White Loyalists of Williamsburg

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Liberty to Slaves! November 17, 1775

As Kate, Eve, and others meet to confront the issues of slavery, news arrives that could change their futures. What does Dunmore’s Proclamation really mean for the enslaved?

Learn More:
Dunmore’s Proclamation
Summary of Dunmore’s Proclamation

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May 15, 1776
The Citizen-Soldier

In this scene: Alexander Hoy is a carpenter who has fallen on hard times. He and his wife Barbry argue about his enlisting in the army. Is he too old to become a soldier?  Can the family survive without him?

Alexander and Barbry Hoy and their two daughters face war-time decisions. In debt, Alexander considers joining the army to get cash for his family and to fulfill his patriotic duty. Barbry is concerned for Alexander’s safety and also wonders how the family will survive in his absence. She worries about handling the head-of-household responsibility alone, but she’ll support whatever decision her husband makes.

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Alexander Hoy
Barbry Hoy
Thoughts on War

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Resolved: Free and Independent States
May 15, 1776

In this scene: Virginia’s leaders take the bold first step in breaking from Great Britain by passing resolutions for independence. They must now establish a republican form of government.

The Virginia Convention unanimously adopts a resolution instructing the colony’s delegates in the Continental Congress to introduce a motion for independence. A committee is appointed to draft a declaration of rights and a Virginia state constitution. On June 7, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, as instructed by the Virginia Convention, moves “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

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Virginia Declaration of Rights
Richard Henry Lee

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July 25, 1776
A Declaration of Independence!

The Declaration of Independence is read to the citizens of Williamsburg. This news arrives only a few weeks after Virginia’s representatives have adopted their own Declaration of Rights and a Constitution for the new state.

Learn More:
Thomas Jefferson
Virginia's Famous Signers
Benjamin Waller
Declaring Independence (will open in a new window)

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June 18, 1779
The War in the West

In this scene: Henry Hamilton, the British governor of Detroit, and other prisoners of war are held in the Public Gaol. The charges are vague and no evidence has yet been supplied. Hamilton resents being treated as a common prisoner, without the usual provisions allowed for officers and prisoners of war.

On February 23, 1779, American Colonel George Rogers Clark seizes the Illinois town of Vincennes, capturing British Lieutenant Henry Hamilton. Hamilton and 23 prisoners are sent to Williamsburg.

Because Hamilton is rumored to have offered bounties to Indians for the scalps of frontier men and women, Governor Thomas Jefferson treats him as a common criminal, placing him in chains and close confinement. Hamilton protests, insisting he is entitled to the rights of a prisoner of war.

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Williamsburg’s Publick Gaol

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September 15, 1780
In Desperate Circumstance!

Barbry Hoy, a local woman who followed her husband southward with the army, returns to Williamsburg. Her husband Alexander was captured in the siege at Charleston, and she now seeks work at the King’s Arms Tavern. She tells the story of the war in South Carolina and of the Americans’ grim defeats.

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Alexander Hoy
Barbry Hoy

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April 20, 1781
The Town is Taken! The British Occupy Williamsburg

In this scene: The American turncoat-now British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold and Major General William Phillips seize Williamsburg. Redcoats raise the British flag over the Capitol and announce the rules of occupation. 

Disillusioned with the American cause, Major General Benedict Arnold thinks true liberty can only be secured by rejoining the British Empire. With 1,500 soldiers, he invades Virginia, winding up in Richmond. The forces swell to 3,500 when Arnold, as second in command, joins Major General William Phillips. Together, the men occupy Williamsburg for two days while British soldiers destroy Virginia's shipyard. Before leaving Virginia, Arnold calls on the townspeople to renew their allegiance to their king.

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Benedict Arnold in Williamsburg
Virginia's Very Own Navy

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April 20, 1781
Running to Freedom!

As Lord Cornwallis and the British army prepare to leave Williamsburg, Eve and other enslaved people prepare to leave with them. Can she be convinced not to run? Or will Eve proceed to join the more than 600 former slaves who left their rebel masters in the Carolinas to follow the British to northward?

Learn More:
Dunmore’s Proclamation
Summary of Dunmore’s Proclamation
African Americans

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September 28, 1781
The Promised Land, or A Matter of Faith

In this scene: An African American Baptist preacher talks about the future in a new society where citizens are equal and where there is no state church. A young soldier confronts him with questions of faith in the face of war and world-changing events.

Gowan Pamphlet is heartened by the memory of some of the words in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, adopted in 1776. Article 16 of the Declaration began to move Virginia away from mere toleration of religious groups outside the state church (Anglican) and toward the free exercise of religion. Gowan applauds the idea of religion disentangled from government, but white Virginians associate slave religion with rebellion and continue to pass laws to control slave gatherings.

Learn More:
Gowan Pamphlet
Virginia Declaration of Rights
Statute for Religious Freedom

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September 28, 1781
On to Yorktown and Victory!

In this scene: General Washington addresses his troops and the citizens of Williamsburg as he prepares to leave for Yorktown.

General George Washington's American troops and the Comte de Rochambeau's French forces march from New York to Virginia. In August, a French fleet with 3,000 troops arrives at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, threatening to trap at Yorktown a British army commanded by Lord Cornwallis. On September 5, the French ships beat the British navy in the Battle of the Virginia Capes, closing the door on Cornwallis' escape. Washington reaches Williamsburg, a few miles from Yorktown, in mid-September, and prepares his troops to march to besiege Cornwallis.

Learn More:
George Washington
A Common American Soldier

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