Just a couple of days left in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute, and here comes an exciting one. It's hard to look at the title of Day Five without hearing the song from Hamilton. This is the day that I finally get to travel to Yorktown and walk in the steps of Washington, Hamilton, Lafayette, and others. This is the day I finally get to see the site of the surrender of British troops after a decisive, strategic battle.
Day 5: The World Turned Upside Down
Supporting Questions:
• What were the catalysts that led American patriots to seek independence from Great Britain?
• How do the complexities of using the labels patriot and loyalist for America’s founding generation impact our
understanding of the past?
• What paradoxes are at the heart of the American Revolution?
• What is the significance of the outcome at Yorktown for people living in the newly defined United States?
7:00 a.m. Breakfast Williamsburg Woodlands
8:00 a.m. Travel by Bus to Classroom
8:30 a.m. Prelude to the Revolution Lodge Conference Center
Through primary sources, explore significant events that occurred in the colonies that led to the American Revolution. Examine images and objects that illuminate the events of the Revolutionary War period.
9:15 a.m. Meet a Person of the Past Lodge Conference Center
The seeds of the American Revolution can be found in British colonial government. From 1699 to 1776 the seat of British power in the colony of Virginia was the Capitol building at the end of Duke of Gloucester Street. Examine how the colonial government functioned and what rights and privileges the people had as subjects of a king. Meet a person of the past and discuss the issues that led to war, the prospects for winning, and their hopes for the nation after the conflict is over. 10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Resilience, Agency, and Resistance Walking Tour Historic Area
During the colonial period, Williamsburg was a town not only of political leaders, tavern keepers, and tradesmen, but also of enslaved individuals. How did these men, women, and children live? What were their roles here? Hear the stories of these people. Witness their lives and choices on the eve of the American Revolution.
11:30 a.m. Voucher Lunch
12:45 p.m. Meet at Market Square
1:00 p.m. Travel by Bus to Yorktown Colonial Parkway
1:30 p.m. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
Indoor galleries at the American Revolution Museum feature period artifacts, immersive environments, and films, including “The Siege of Yorktown,” with a 180-degree surround screen and dramatic special effects. In the outdoor areas, visit a re-created Continental Army encampment to learn about the life of a soldier and take in daily demonstrations on medical treatment, camp life, and cooking, and see a flintlock musket demonstration. Explore a Revolution-era farm, based on a real-life eighteenth-century family, and help with chores in the house, kitchen, tobacco barn, gardens, or crops.
3:30 p.m. Travel by Bus to Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center
3:45 p.m. Yorktown Battlefield National Park Visitor Center and Museum
Tour the museum exhibits which focus on the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, the Battle of the Capes, and the campaign table used by British General Cornwallis during the siege. General Washington’s campaign tents are also on display.
4:30 p.m. Bus Tour of Yorktown Battlefield National Park Yorktown
Visit Redoubts 9 and 10 and Surrender Field.
5:30 p.m. Travel by Bus to Williamsburg
7:00 p.m. Tavern Dinner Shields Tavern
