Revolution
The delegates of the 5th Virginia Convention, meeting in Williamsburg, Wednesday, May 15, 1776, agreed unanimously to instruct Virginia’s representatives at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to propose that the colonies declare themselves free and independent states absolved from all allegiance to, or dependence upon, the crown or parliament of Great Britain. Seven weeks later, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed why the colonies had chosen independence. In Williamsburg, the Convention’s delegates drafted a declaration of rights and a constitution for Virginia, creating a society in which the people, not the monarch, were sovereign.
The Revolution had to be won on the battlefield, however. War had broken out a year earlier with skirmishes between British troops and Massachusetts militia at Lexington and Concord. It would continue for six years before the decisive battle of Yorktown. There, in October 1781, American and French troops led by George Washington defeated a British army commanded by General Charles Lord Cornwallis.
Don’t Miss
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Yorktown Victory Center
This museum of the American Revolution chronicles America’s struggle for independence from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of the nation. A new Declaration of Independence Gallery emphasizes the dramatic impact and relevance of this historic document. Exhibits also provide eyewitness accounts of the war and describe the convergence of forces in October 1781 at the Siege of Yorktown. “The Legacy of Yorktown: Virginia Beckons” exhibit examines how people from different cultures shaped a society and incorporates the theme of creating a national government with the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Outdoors, historical interpreters engage visitors in demonstrations of everyday life during the Revolutionary era, in re-creations of a Continental Army encampment, and 1780s Tidewater Virginia farm.
Visit: http://www.historyisfun.org
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Colonial Williamsburg
Each day, the Historic Area features Revolutionary City, a dynamic two-hour event during which guests witness – and participate in – the “Collapse of the Royal Government, 1774-1776,” and the struggles of “Citizens at War, 1776-1781.” Other sites of importance during the Revolution include the Palace, where the last royal governor Lord Dunmore resided, the Magazine, from which British marines stole the colony’s powder in April 1775 fueling a crisis that led to war, and the Capitol, where the General Assembly passed the crucial legislation that created the state of Virginia.
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Yorktown Battlefield
When Prime Minister Frederick Lord North learned that Cornwallis had surrendered to Washington, he reputedly said, “Oh God, it’s all over.” It was. Guests can tour siege lines and fortifications, witness artillery demonstrations, and step into Washington’s tent.
Visit: http://www.nps.gov/yonb/
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