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| The Capitol Building also known at the House of Burgesses. |
At the eastern end of Duke of Gloucester Street stands the reconstructed Capitol, one of the chief Exhibition Buildings of Colonial Williamsburg. For the better part of a century - from 1704 to 1780 - Virginia's General Assembly convened on this historic site. Here an embarrassed and stammering Washington was applauded by fellow burgesses for his part in the French and Indian War; here Patrick Henry defiantly protested the Stamp Act until accused of treason; here George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights became law. At this place the House of Burgesses, America's oldest legislative assembly, held its meetings, together with the smaller, more aristocratic Governor's Council. The General Court of the colony met in the paneled courtroom to sit in judgment on the unfortunates who violated the laws of that bygone century.
In Williamsburg's Capitol laws were enacted affecting the whole colony. The Governor, when he rode in his coach from the Palace to open the Assembly, was the symbol of the power of the Crown which extended from the sea to the huge wilderness empire then claimed by Virginia.
Legislators who met here included virtually every Virginian of note in the eighteenth century. The Capitol was the scene of stubborn opposition to what the colonists regarded as arbitrary policies of the King and Parliament; here, claiming the rights and privileges of British subjects, Virginians sought to defend their concept of self government - a concept which had taken root when the burgesses first met in Jamestown in 1619 and which had matured through the years. In the end the lawmakers reluctantly took up arms against the Mother Country; yet their prolonged effort to achieve their goal by peaceful means is a conspicuous testament to their respect for the processes of deliberation carried on within the walls of the Capitol.
Each year, on May 15, a public ceremony commemorates the most stirring historical moment associated with the Capitol. It was on that day, in the troubled Spring of 1776, that Virginia's legislators gathered here to pledge their lives and fortunes on the daring hazard of full freedom from England. Although the colonies were weak and divided, and were defying one of the greatest military powers of the day, these men of Williamsburg had the spirit and vision to adopt a Resolution for American Independence without a dissenting voice. On June 7, Virginia's delegate Richard Henry Lee acted on these instructions and introduced a motion to this effect on the floor of the Continental Congress at Philadelphia. This led directly to the Declaration of Independence, drafted largely by Thomas Jefferson, who had once stood at the half-open door of the House of Burgesses to hear Patrick Henry thunder his defiance of Parliament and King. The period from May 15 through July 4 is celebrated as the Prelude to Independence. On May 15, 1953, President Eisenhower, standing just in front of the original speaker's chair in the House of Burgesses, said, "I think no American could stand in these halls and on this spot without feeling a very great and deep sense of the debt we owe to the courage, the stamina, and the faith of our forefathers."
When the legislature was in session or the court convened, the public grounds bordering the Capitol teemed with Virginians of every rank and profession. Within stone's throw were at least a dozen inns, taverns, ordinaries, and coffee houses, serving everything from Virginia Brunswick stew and corn liquor to Barbados sweetmeats and French brandy. Nearby stood the city's second theatre, where Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice was first introduced in America. Stables were located convenient to the Square. And, for those who caroused too freely, the pillory and stocks of the Gaol were close at hand.
Capitol Square was a natural center for celebrations. In 1746, word reached Williamsburg that the Duke of Cumberland had finally routed Bonnie Prince Charlie and his dispirited Highlanders. That night there was a gala ball at the Capitol, where three tables were piled high with more than 100 dishes "after the most delicate taste." Outside, after each of the twenty toasts, volleys were discharged from cannon pulled upon the green. The biggest celebration took place after the Independence Resolution of May 15, 1776. A military parade was held, with the Committee of Safety and other legislators joining townspeople, children, and stray dogs in review. A train of artillery passed by, and General Lee's light dragoons, some men even carrying tomahawks. That evening, toasts were drunk to independence, Congress, and General Washington, and there were fireworks and "other demonstrations of joy."
The Capitol was ordered built by an act of 1699, less than one year after the last of several statehouses in Jamestown had succumbed to fire. As a drastic precaution against this danger, Williamsburg's first Capitol was designed without chimneys and the use of fire, candles, or tobacco was strictly prohibited. In time such safeguards were sacrificed to necessity and convenience; a secretary complained, for example, that his records were "exposed by the Damps." In 1723 two chimneys were added. Candles were brought in, and doubtless permission was soon granted to smoke tobacco-Virginia's "bewitching vegetable." Whether from these sources, or from arson (as was supposed at the time), the building was gutted by fire on January 30, 1747, "and the naked Brick Walls only left standing." With the encouragement of Governor William Gooch, the "Royal Fabric" was within a year ordered rebuilt, and a second capitol building was completed in 1753, incorporating the surviving walls of its predecessor but different in appearance. After the removal of Virginia's government to Richmond in 1780, the second building fell into disrepair and in 1832 it too was destroyed by fire.
Before reconstruction could be undertaken, Colonial Williamsburg faced a dilemma: should the first or second capitol building rise again on the old foundations? The second Capitol was of greater historic interest since it witnessed the events of the years before the Revolution, but the first Capitol could lay claim to greater architectural distinction. Long searching of the architectural evidence disclosed that voluminous files would permit the accurate reconstruction of the earlier building, whereas few records were available for the later. It is the first Capitol which is here reconstructed.
The foundations for the original building were laid in 1701. During its construction under the supervision of "master builder" Henry Cary, Virginia's lawmakers met in the Wren Building of the College but moved impatiently into the new Capitol in 1704, a year before its final completion was symbolized by the surrender of the builder's keys to the Speaker of the House of Burgesses.
The period of the Capitol is signified by the coat of arms of Queen Anne emblazoned on its tower, and by the Flag of the Great Union (the eighteenth-century form of the British Union Jack) which flies proudly overhead. The style of architecture, with round and arched windows, and a cupola, is of the Renaissance but simplification was imposed by conditions in a young colony, as evidenced by the absence of colonnades or an elaborate façade. The H-shaped plan is an early example of an architectural design successfully devised for a specific purpose. It also reflects the make-up of Virginia's colonial government. One wing is taken up by the Hall of the House of Burgesses (on the first floor) and committee rooms for the burgesses (on the second). The other wing, finished and furnished much more elaborately, houses the General Courtroom (on the first floor), and the Governor's Council Chamber (on the second). Each wing has its own staircase. On the second floor - appropriately linking the two wings - is the Conference Room, where burgesses and councilors met together for morning prayer, or held joint conferences to resolve disagreements. The composition of the building is set off by the tall hexagonal cupola and is skillfully defined on Capitol Square by a sturdy brick wall.
The site and the original foundations of the Capitol were faithfully preserved over the years by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and were generously deeded by that organization to Colonial Williamsburg for the reconstruction. The rebuilt Capitol was opened in 1934 by the House of Delegates and the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia, meeting in joint session. At this time a bill was passed enabling the General Assembly to convene in the colonial Capitol at times which might seem proper, a practice which in peace-time has been followed on some occasion during each session. At the dedication in 1934 the Assembly was addressed by Governor George C. Peery, and by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., whose discourse closed with the words: "What a temptation to sit in silence and let the past speak to us of those great patriots whose voices once resounded in these halls, and whose farseeing wisdom, high courage and unselfish devotion to the common good will ever be an inspiration to noble living."
When the legislature was in session or the court convened, the public grounds bordering the Capitol teemed with Virginians of every rank and profession. Within stone's throw were at least a dozen inns, taverns, ordinaries, and coffee houses, serving everything from Virginia Brunswick stew and corn liquor to Barbados sweetmeats and French brandy. Nearby stood the city's second theatre, where Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice was first introduced in America. Stables were located convenient to the Square. And, for those who caroused too freely, the pillory and stocks of the Gaol were close at hand.
Capitol Square was a natural center for celebrations. In 1746, word reached Williamsburg that the Duke of Cumberland had finally routed Bonnie Prince Charlie and his dispirited Highlanders. That night there was a gala ball at the Capitol, where three tables were piled high with more than 100 dishes "after the most delicate taste." Outside, after each of the twenty toasts, volleys were discharged from cannon pulled upon the green. The biggest celebration took place after the Independence Resolution of May 15, 1776. A military parade was held, with the Committee of Safety and other legislators joining townspeople, children, and stray dogs in review. A train of artillery passed by, and General Lee's light dragoons, some men even carrying tomahawks. That evening, toasts were drunk to independence, Congress, and General Washington, and there were fireworks and "other demonstrations of joy."
The Capitol was ordered built by an act of 1699, less than one year after the last of several statehouses in Jamestown had succumbed to fire. As a drastic precaution against this danger, Williamsburg's first Capitol was designed without chimneys and the use of fire, candles, or tobacco was strictly prohibited. In time such safeguards were sacrificed to necessity and convenience; a secretary complained, for example, that his records were "exposed by the Damps." In 1723 two chimneys were added. Candles were brought in, and doubtless permission was soon granted to smoke tobacco-Virginia's "bewitching vegetable." Whether from these sources, or from arson (as was supposed at the time), the building was gutted by fire on January 30, 1747, "and the naked Brick Walls only left standing." With the encouragement of Governor William Gooch, the "Royal Fabric" was within a year ordered rebuilt, and a second capitol building was completed in 1753, incorporating the surviving walls of its predecessor but different in appearance. After the removal of Virginia's government to Richmond in 1780, the second building fell into disrepair and in 1832 it too was destroyed by fire.
Before reconstruction could be undertaken, Colonial Williamsburg faced a dilemma: should the first or second capitol building rise again on the old foundations? The second Capitol was of greater historic interest since it witnessed the events of the years before the Revolution, but the first Capitol could lay claim to greater architectural distinction. Long searching of the architectural evidence disclosed that voluminous files would permit the accurate reconstruction of the earlier building, whereas few records were available for the later. It is the first Capitol which is here reconstructed.
The foundations for the original building were laid in 1701. During its construction under the supervision of "master builder" Henry Cary, Virginia's lawmakers met in the Wren Building of the College but moved impatiently into the new Capitol in 1704, a year before its final completion was symbolized by the surrender of the builder's keys to the Speaker of the House of Burgesses.
The period of the Capitol is signified by the coat of arms of Queen Anne emblazoned on its tower, and by the Flag of the Great Union (the eighteenth-century form of the British Union Jack) which flies proudly overhead. The style of architecture, with round and arched windows, and a cupola, is of the Renaissance but simplification was imposed by conditions in a young colony, as evidenced by the absence of colonnades or an elaborate façade. The H-shaped plan is an early example of an architectural design successfully devised for a specific purpose. It also reflects the make-up of Virginia's colonial government. One wing is taken up by the Hall of the House of Burgesses (on the first floor) and committee rooms for the burgesses (on the second). The other wing, finished and furnished much more elaborately, houses the General Courtroom (on the first floor), and the Governor's Council Chamber (on the second). Each wing has its own staircase. On the second floor - appropriately linking the two wings - is the Conference Room, where burgesses and councilors met together for morning prayer, or held joint conferences to resolve disagreements. The composition of the building is set off by the tall hexagonal cupola and is skillfully defined on Capitol Square by a sturdy brick wall.
The site and the original foundations of the Capitol were faithfully preserved over the years by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and were generously deeded by that organization to Colonial Williamsburg for the reconstruction. The rebuilt Capitol was opened in 1934 by the House of Delegates and the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia, meeting in joint session. At this time a bill was passed enabling the General Assembly to convene in the colonial Capitol at times which might seem proper, a practice which in peace-time has been followed on some occasion during each session. At the dedication in 1934 the Assembly was addressed by Governor George C. Peery, and by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., whose discourse closed with the words: "What a temptation to sit in silence and let the past speak to us of those great patriots whose voices once resounded in these halls, and whose farseeing wisdom, high courage and unselfish devotion to the common good will ever be an inspiration to noble living."
Video at YouTube:
Episodes of Liberty Kids introducing young students
to the Revolutionary War and Why It Was Important.
Students can watch the entire series at YouTube
for free! Perfect for 5th and 6th graders Hurrah!
At the Williamsburg Capitol, May 15th 1776, delegates voted unanimously to inform representatives in the city of Philadelphia to declare the United Colonies free and independent states.
When Parliament in England passed the Port Act, the Capital in Virginia, Williamsburg passed the resolution of solidarity and support for Boston rebels on May 30th 1774.
Rapping and Singing To Remember Revolution:
- Theater Unspeakable's "The American Revolution" Promo
- American Revolution Rap - Smart Songs
- Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration
- George vs. George Rap by Saad Khan
- The Bill of Rights Parody by MrBettsClass
- The Singing History Teachers - Causes of The American Revolution
- "Yorktown" Jimmy Peters - dance to "Hamilton, World Turned Upside Down"
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