Moments in History

In Virginia’s colonial capital, colonists competed for status, power, and resources. Williamsburg was a community of aspiration and contradiction. Through the controversies of the colonial era, it became a crucible of revolution. Learn more about the events and everyday stories of pre-revolutionary Williamsburg.

Tea was one of the American colonists’ favorite drinks. But in 1773, after the British government changed the way it regulated and taxed tea, a crisis engulfed the empire. Tea became a source of not only refreshment, but also rebellion. Learn more about how the tea crisis swept through Williamsburg and moved Virginia toward revolution.

One day, you’re living in a monarchy. The next, you’re in a republic. Virginia colonists had long prided themselves on their loyalty to the British monarchy. But in 1775, royal authority rapidly collapsed. Colonists threatened the governor. He fled. By the next year, Virginia was at the forefront of the continental movement toward independence. How did Virginia move so quickly from royalism to independence? Go deeper to learn more about how the people of Williamsburg led the way toward the American Revolution.

Once you’ve chased one government out of town, you have to build new institutions. A newly independent nation raised many questions. How will the government be structured? Who should vote? Who should lead? Who should follow? As they debated and answered these questions, the Founding generation made choices that continue to echo in American society today.

How do you rebuild an eighteenth-century city? The audacious effort to restore Williamsburg, led by W. A. R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller Jr., began a century of research, discovery, and storytelling. Explore the stories of the men and women who have spent decades bringing eighteenth-century Williamsburg alive.