Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg

One year ago I was on vacation to Colonial Williamsburg. I had a wonderful time and learned an incredible amount about the Revolutionary War era from the actor/interpreters who portray the citizens of Williamsburg. You can read more about Williamsburg and learn about the real people of the town on their fabulous website at history.org. I am going to blog my journal and some photos in hopes that you will learn something as well.

Day 4 Part 1

Went to Declaration of Rights at the Raleigh. Met George Mason and Robert Carter Nicholas to discuss the new Virginia Declaration of Rights. This document became the basis of the Constitution. They encouraged us to tell them what we thought of it and someone asked what about rights for indentures and slaves. Mason said indentures have very few rights but at the end of their indenture, they'll have full rights. Slaves are property. They have no rights. Then he explained that the laws are made to be changed. People change. 200 years from now people will be different and Virginia will be different and if the people wish to change the law, the law was made to be changed. They also said that government employees should not be paid. It is an honor to give back and serve your country (by country they mean Virginia). They explained they are very wealthy men and have the time to do this work. Once a man is paid for government work, he serves only the interest of money instead of the best interest. They also did not believe that the government should take care of the poor. They had no way of knowing if someone far off in another county really needed help. It was expensive and time consuming to send a rider out to investigate. They believed that since everyone paid taxes to the church whether they belonged or not, the church should provide. Another thing they said was that a man should not refrain from running for office because it would take a toll on his family. The Founding Fathers believed it was an honor to serve.

Next, to the wigmaker. They can make wigs out of goat hair, yak hair or human hair. People shaved their heads in summer and the sweat stuck the wig on their heads. In the winter, the stubble gripped the wig to their heads like sandpaper. They could also dress a lady's hair if it is waist length or longer. If not, they had ladies wigs as well. It was advised to make an appointment far enough in advance of a special event. They also performed barbering.



Then to the milliner. I saw a pin cushion pillow spelling out "Welcome Little Stranger" in pins, a child's dress, several fashion dolls, undergarments hanging from the ceiling and lots of sumptuous clothing and beautiful fabric.

My next stop was the apothecary. The lady showed me the garlic syrup given to colonial people for coughs. Sounds disgusting! Then she showed me a few other remedies and how the apothecary would grind medicines with a mortal and pestle. The apothecary also did surgery and set bones and made house calls for general medical care. The apothecary also sold licorice root to the colonial citizens. They boiled it and peeled down the bark and used it as a toothbrush with Cream of Tartar.

Then I toured the Capitol and learned about the justice system. Only major crimes were tried at the Capitol twice a year and were punishable by branding or death. Their legal system was very much like ours is today. When creating our legal system, they took what worked from the English legal system and borrowed from the Romans as well.

Next was supposed to be a public audience with George Washington but we were greeted by the Marquis de Lafayette who explained Gen. Washington had been whisked away to a meeting with Count Rochaembeau. We listened to Lafayette talk about himself. His father was killed in battle with the English when he was a baby and he came into his title as a very young man and served in the French army. He married the daughter of the Colonel who owned the regiment and was given a commission in the army. When he learned about the American cause of liberty, he wanted to join the cause. He applied to the French king for permission but the king said no because it was one of the rare times the French were not at war with the English. Lafayette ignored the king, bought a ship and sailed to America. When he arrived in Philadelphia and asked the Continental Congress to join their army as an aide-de-camp or something, they said they couldn't afford to pay him. He offered to serve at his own expense so they made him a Major General. He talked about his experiences in the army, his relationship with Washington and the other army officers and his hopes for the future. He hoped to take some of the reforms from America back to France and he felt that there would not be a revolution in France like there is in America!