The Final Word

After a long day of travel by car and by train, we arrive in Washington D.C. for the final push of our adventure.  The change of scenery (not to mention a considerably discounted room at the Ritz!), seems to rejuvenate us a bit as we take in the familiar sites and landmarks.  After checking in to the hotel, we venture out into the big city, stopping at a riverside cafe overlooking the Potomac for some snacks.  Here we pour over our various maps and travel brochures hoping to create some sort of itinerary for the next day.  We spend the rest of the evening cruising the streets of Georgetown and getting our mountain town consciences acclimated to the hustle and bustle!

We decide to attack our only full day in the capital with full force, and head out early for the nearest metro station.  We don't go far, however, before realizing that we may have bit off more than we can chew!  By the time we've walked the length of the National Mall and up the steps to the capital building, it's not even 9:00 in the morning, and we are soaked all the way through with sweat.

We enjoy a tour of the capital building, bobbing and weaving our way through the masses of humanity in order to sneak glimpses of the stunning paintings, statues, and intricacies of masonry.  Our tour guide is a bit pushy, but knowledgeable nonetheless, and we are given interesting tidbits regarding the historical significance of the various rooms and artwork.  At the conclusion of our tour, we quickly revise our game-plan, eliminating the "would like to sees..." and narrowing down the "musts."

Our next stop is the National Museum of the American Indian.  A wonderful exhibit features the accomplishments of Native American musicians (such as Jimmi Hendrix... who knew?!) with sample recordings from each one.  Another gallery focuses on the spirituality and mythology of various tribes throughout the Americas.  When we discover that there is little devoted to the cultures related to our curriculum, we cut our tour short and head across the vast, sweltering lawn and steaming pavement towards The National Archives.

The Archives offered us the most relevant and intriguing information for our content.  There is a very tangible realization inside this building that we, as Americans, have access to stacks and stacks of historical documentation that record the rights of citizens, the actions of Government officials, and the national experience.  We are equally engrossed in a unique exhibit called "Discovering the Civil War."  This features the most extensive display of unusual perspectives and many seldom seen documents dating back to before the Civil War.  Spectators are urged to use the primary source documents to discover for themselves the answers to questions such as how did the South try to forge a National identity? What motivate men to enlist? What happened to those who resisted?  As teachers of history, the access to and implementation of such documents is a skill we greatly desire to disseminate to our students.

 By 2:00 the temperature is hovering somewhere around 100 degrees, and we've just about had enough!  Reluctantly, we drag ourselves four more blocks to the Ford Theater--scene of Lincoln's assassination--where we have pre-purchased tickets to the museum and presentation.  The restored historical site features artifacts and information about good old Abe's life and career, including the pistol responsible for cutting it short.  A park ranger herds us all into the theater and gives a verbal play by play of Lincoln's final day.  The presentation is somewhat anticlimactic, but it is surreal to be looking at the box where this famously tragic event in our nation's history unfolded.








Cranky, blistered, tired, and hot, we finally begin the long trudge back to Georgetown to debrief on all the new information we've just shoved into our already overflowing brains.  It's been a long nine days, but we've accomplished an awful lot.  More importantly, we can now bring back all our new learning to our students, and share first hand, the experiences we've had; it will bring life to our lessons, and the lessons we all share as citizens of this great nation.  As Abraham Lincoln so aptly put it, "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years."  Thanks for being a part of our journey!

Cindy Cassidy
Tracy Teetaert
Kristen Morgan

Onto Yorktown and Victory: a Nation is Born

On to Yorktown and Victory: a Nation is Born

The final day in the Historic Triangle bought us back to Revolutionary City in Williamsburg where we caught the last three reenactments as its citizens pay the price for the continuing revolution. Many tests and trials befall the people of America in their fight for freedom and the creation of a new self-governing society.  We witnessed on the south side of the capital the town's British occupation by Benedict Arnold and his redcoats.  Troops raise the British flag over Williamsburg and announce the rules and terms of the occupation to hisses, boos, and shouts of, "traitor!" to the duplicitous Arnold.

 We followed the crowd in the heat to a religious gathering behind the coffeehouse.  Here we are mesmerized by Gowan Pamphlet, African American Baptist preacher, talk about his hope for the future in the impending and monarch-free society.  He preached of his aspirations where all citizens are equal and there is no state church connected to the government as with the Church of England; where instead each man can choose his faith and practice based on his own conscience and morality.  Will the new country adopt a constitution like Virginia's that allows for any religion, public assembly, and representative government?

We were drawn into the crowd in front of the Raleigh Tavern as the allied American army arrives. General Washingtion addresses the citizens of Williamsburg and ensures the people.  He is preparing his army to meet Cornwallis at Yorktown for a sure victory, as the British are greatly outnumbered and backed up against the York River.

The Siege of Yorktown- The afternoon took us to the last stop in the Historic Triangle, the Yorktown battlefield.  The British army had lost hope of conquering the northern states and the war was wearing on the Continental army.  With the help of French generals Lafayette and Rochambeau, the siege lasts eight days and culminates in the surrender of General Cornwallis, the crown, and 244 pieces of artillery.  Yorktown effectively ended the Revolutionary War, but it was not until 1783, two years after the battle of Yorktown, that the Treaty of Paris was signed.  As the last battle of the American Revolution, the victory at Yorktown, secured the independence of the United States and forever changed the course of history.

Our site visit to Yorktown ended with a gathering and viewing of a local youth heritage organization of fifers and drummers.  They presented facts about their instruments and attire in a regimented manner, as well as including strong explanations for numerous influential songs.  The fifers and drummers play an important role in wartime, offering communication and morale for the soldiers.

The Historic Triangle has offered, all three of us, unique and valuable information to take back to our classrooms.  We can hardly contain our excitement in anticipation of re-opening the boxes and boxes of information, artifacts and books, from our Historic Triangle visit,  in order to re-create our trunks of evidence for our students.  With a final siesta at the King's Arms Tavern, in historic colonial Williamsburg,  we will celebrate the closing of our journey through the Revolutionary time period.
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

Yorktown: Full Steam Ahead

At 6:00 AM we grumble and roll out of bed in preparation for a nautical adventure Kristen's friend, Jes has so kindly volunteered to chaperon.  The streets are virtually empty as we navigate through narrow country roads with heavy mists shrouding the lush scenery around us.  We reach the boat launch and waste no time pushing off into the York River where British troops were surrounded in the final battle of the Revolution.  We kick back to the rhythm of some melancholy bluegrass tunes while taking in the scenery and geography, including a surprise visit from some local dolphins!

After several failed attempts at catching the local Croakers (the Gulp Alive Crazy Jerk Shard bait apparently wasn't on their menu!), we reluctantly head back to shore and prepare for Historic Yorktown.  Our third destination in the Historic Triangle is much smaller and less crowded than the others.  We begin our tour at the Watermen's Museum, which examines the maritime history of the area.  Outside the museum, Cindy and Tracy join the ranks of a mock militia training where we bare the tedious instruction of loading and firing muskets in the blazing afternoon heat.  A blacksmith, wood carver, and seamstress are also dishing out trade tutorials at the colonial market.

Just off the riverwalk lies the quaint historic area where we tour various monuments, manors, and the archeological site of the "Poor Potter"--a savvy businessman/patriot who undermined the British trade laws with his successful practice.

Last on our agenda is the Yorktown Victory Center which guides you down a pathway flanked with time-line events leading up the American Revolution.  At the end of memory lane is a modest museum exhibit, primarily featuring key figures and varying perspectives of people too scared to disobey the tyrannous British, but too proud to swear allegiance to that same Crown.  A short film in the auditorium focuses on the voices of soldiers on the war trail; both novice privates and refined generals share their fears and successes from the battlefields.

Outside the museum we get a tour of a Continental Army Encampment.  We collect fantastic footage as the experts vociferously spill their secrets of typical wartime medical procedures, cooking styles & foods, women's quarters, and artillery options.  Here we are also given a much more comprehensive explanation of the intricacies of the fearsome musket, and are blown away by the shear weight of the weapon, let alone its meager range and accuracy!

We end our tour at a 1780's farm complete with tobacco barn, crop fields, gardens, and living quarters.  At last we escape out of the heat and into the air conditioned gift shop where we start the process of eating into our budget for artifacts and resources for our third and final trunk.  We've completed yet another long and successful day of our journey... It's hard to believe there are only four more left!

Williamsburg: Part Deux

A breakfast outing to Mama Steve's Pancake House fuels us for our final day of Williamsburg exploration.  Having conquered the majority of the historic area, we set our for the merchant district where we make good on some tax free shopping to add to our trunk collection.  We can already see mayhem in the classroom as boys fight over felt hats and frilly collars!

Next stop: the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg--a large brick building that once was a mental hospital "for these miserable Objects, who cannot help themselves."  A small exhibit pays homage to the old institution whose patients were thought to have diseases of the brain, and were treated with full restraints, isolation, torture, and bleeding.  A small concrete chamber containing only a small cot and chains large enough to hold an elephant, and eerie childlike drawings on the wall was among the attractions, as well various torture devices and disturbing recordings of doctors with their patients.

The mood downstairs is of a very different aura, the gallery showcasing folk art pieces donated by the omnipresent Rockefeller family.  Beyond that is the well-endowed exhibit of the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum which displays artifacts of all manners from the 17th and 18th Centuries.  The collection boasts everything from aging wooden rifles and leather ammunition satchels to heavy copper and iron cooking utensils (which are more reminiscent of the hospital's torture devices than relics of a culinary nature!), and long corridors of silver platters, jugs, candelabras, kettles and trinkets.

The next wing of the exhibit is most impressive with its ornate wooden grandfather clocks, gilded armoires, and plush velvet and silk recliners--constant requirements of the gentile elite.  Perhaps most telling are the series of portraits... snapshots inside the true nature of the period's upper class.  Last among the museum's corridors are the rooms of instruments such as the oh-so-influential banjo (yet another high jacked piece of African culture), and an entire room dedicated to sociable activity of drinking tea!

After finishing the museum tour we make our way to the auditorium in time to catch "Mother, Sister, Wife: the Women Around George Washington."  The hour long performance features the female relatives of our Founding Father gathered around a quaint kitchen table careful to observe customs of elegance and propriety while discussing their anxieties over the war for independence and their cloudy, impending fates.  George's mother, Mary, is portrayed by a bitterly outspoken old lady hell-bent on getting what's owed to the widowed woman responsible for raising the Commander in Chief.  The play is an honest depiction of the period's women who were torn between being strong for the men who needed them in times of war, yet helpless as inherent victims of their sex.  All three woman were clearly guided by moral compasses of love, honor, patriotism and faith.

We weren't sure we could do it, but we've actually accomplished all we set out to see in the colonial town of Williamsburg, and are anxious to join the ranks at Yorktown--the backdrop for America's final victory over the limey Brits, and the setting for the birth of a new nation.

Historic Colonial Williamsburg

The Collapse of the Royal Government!

Today our adventure took us to Historic Colonial Williamsburg!  The day started with a sense of curiosity, a very high heat index (101 degrees) and a feeling of  overwhelming anticipation.  We have gotten in the habit of starting our day early and have enjoyed getting out ahead of the crowds and the heat.

We began our day in the historical part of Williamsburg, which included shops, shoemakers, a post office, an apothecary, taverns, houses, the magazine (weapons storage house), churches, the governor's mansion, the capital and some private residences.  The events in Williamsburg helped shape our nation as the people of Virginia began to distance themselves from the English monarch.  This eventually led to our nation taking root  and the colonies no longer under British rule.  The citizens of the town were faced with difficult choices on their way to becoming a self-governing republic and a free an independent United States of America.

It felt much easier to transport ourselves back to 1765, as the actors and the town itself were authentic, down to the last detail.  Everyone spoke in character and the re-enactments that we were able to tape, proved both powerful and informative.





The first re-enactment that we witnessed was The Next Disagreeable Thing, The Stamp Crisis and the Ball of the Revolution.  This re-enactment portrayed groups of Williamsburg citizens deep in political debate and outrage over the king's collection of the stamp tax.  The citizens of the town were demanding the resignation of one of the king's last stamp tax collector.

The second re-enactment that we were able to capture included the governor addressing the townspeople from the capital balcony concerning the Boston Tea Party.  He encouraged the people to stay loyal to the king and announced his intentions to close the harbor.  This concluded with the opposing voice of Patrick Henry, on the steps of the capital, encouraging the people to fight for their liberty.  In response to the king's claim, that the colonists had "roosted" too high in the trees, Patrick Henry responded, "If he disturb too much his birds, he shall loose their eggs for his pudding."

Other re-enactments that we were able to witness included, The House Divided, which portrayed a common division among family members in regards to their loyalties.  Here a mother accuses her daughter of betraying her loyalist father, in support of her patriotic brother. 

The final re-enactment included a scene where a soldier informs the town and the speaker of the colonists raid on a weapons cache in Concord.  The struggles of the townspeople were apparent during this critical time. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our shopping in Colonial Williamsburg, as we loaded up on authentic colonial clothing, craft books, copies of the Virginia Gazette, girls bonnets, hats, aprons, currency, coins, fifes and even a wooden pistol.  We are excited to return with all of our artifacts and to create our trunks of evidence for our students to delve into.

We were impressed by the variety of experiences that Colonial Williamsburg had to offer.  From the lowly cobbler to children playing period games to the noble gentry, Williamsburg successfully took us back to the past.

After the swim in the James and a daring crossing to the sandbar at low tide, we hit the tavern for libations, games, and entertainment.  We all had a local brew and got a complete history and explanation of Yankee Doodle (Macaroni is a stab at the foppish, elaborate style of dress for the wealthy class).  Take a pass on the dried, stale bread bits and cheese... Traditional pub fare though it may be, though not a great snack if you're hungry.

We were drenched again in a huge thunderstorm going to the African American song and dance program.  The group djembe drum and gourd shakers.  The songs were based on traditional call and response African slave music with the crowd required to participate--there is no such thing as an audience in slave music.  Slaves sang for family, togetherness, to make work go faster, communicate their culture, and for hope for survival.  Afro-latin music, gospel, blues, soul and virtually all American music came to us through slavery.

Another way slaves passed on tradition, morality and education was through story telling.  We listened to three stories in the courthouse by candlelight with bolts of lightning shooting through the sky, adding a dramatic effect.  The messages were well taken and universal: you can't judge a book by its cover, watch your tongue... don't blab everything you hear, and you can't take back words once spoken.  These lessons were valuable on the plantation, in church, and for life.  We can't wait to bring such valuable experiences straight back to the classroom!

Jamestown Settlement

 Today's rain thankfully kept the masses at bay, so we were able to enjoy our exploration of the Jamestown Settlement with much less interruption!  Our day began with a comprehensive film overview of early life in the first colony, followed by an overwhelmingly large exhibit covering everything from weather/environment, to life on the ships, to the Powhatan Native Americans, Africans, and more.  We wove through detailed replicas and artifacts relaying the stories of the first boys and men sent here to make the rich people in England richer, and the hardships they faced from disease, famine, cold, and hostile relations with the Native Americans.  It's all we could do not to snap photos (strictly forbidden!) of the numerous items and explanations detailing every cultural component of the English, Powhatans, and Africans... The exact information we are so eager to disseminate to our students.

The rain died down just in time for us to explore the recreated Jamestown Fort, traditional Powhatan villiage, and ship replicas.  Though the staff were fully decked out in believable garb, we were slightly disappointed to learn that they are not "in character," but plucked their brains for good video footage nonetheless!  The village consisted of several traditional huts, and various shelters where costumed individuals gave "real life" demonstrations of arts, crafts, and labors (basket weaving, arrow making, stone carving etc.).  Past the village we found the Jamestown fort, complete with corn and tobacco fields, cannons, armory, church, and houses.  The fort itself is contained within giant wooden walls, and site staff (dressed appropriately of course) gave demonstrations of their skilled craft or labor--a clear juxtaposition on the different ways the Native Americans handled such endeavors.  We were even lucky enough to catch the shooting of a rifle on film... a noise sure to capture the attention of wandering adolescent minds!

Finally, we made our way to the life-size replicas of the first three ships that brought settlers to this land. Once on board it was easy to see why the journey so was so treacherous and tiresome.  Because the English constructed their ships for the purpose of carrying cargo, not men, the under-deck of the largest ship is crammed with barrels, trunks, cannons, and other nautical paraphernalia, leaving just enough space for men to lay their straw cots on top of their own trunks and belongings.  A pirate wench (she kind of looked like one!) informed us that these men below would only have been allowed on the top deck if explicitly asked by the captain... Throw some sanitary diseases, rough waters, and sea sickness in the mix and I can see how the perils of starting a new colony would seem like a welcome paradise!

After only two days we our heads are already crammed with new knowledge and evidence, yet we know there is much more to discover as we continue tracing our way through the Historic Triangle and on to Williamsburg...