American History & Leaders

When Washington set the world on fire...

George Washington has frequently been criticized for his first military campaign, which sparked the French and Indian War. This backwoods campaign between British and French colonials eventually grew into the Seven Years' War, a global conflict between these European empires. In 1754 Washington was an ambitious yet inexperienced young officer, eager to carry out his orders and mission on behalf of Virginia and the British king. While his campaign failed to meet its objectives, Washington experienced his first taste of military command, dealing with situations that ultimately proved beyond his control, and learned lessons that made him into the man who led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War.

Historian Scott Patchan delves deep into Washington's correspondence to tell the story of his training as an officer. 

Arlington National Cemetery illustrates the evolution of the Virginia cemetery from a potter's field during the Civil War to the most prestigious military cemetery in the United States.

The cemetery contains such significant monuments and sites as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Rough Rider Monument, the mast of the USS Maine, the Confederate Monument, and Freedman's Village. Today not only can one visit the graves of Supreme Court justices, George Washington Parke Custis, Pres. William Taft and Nellie Taft, and Pres. John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, but one can also see the burial places of generals and admirals, Medal of Honor recipients, doctors and nurses, land and space explorers, inventors, and soldiers.

Twentieth-century residents of Williamsburg have witnessed dramatic changes in their community. First, before World War II, was the re-creation of the Historic Area-the fulfillment of a vision seen by a clergyman and financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. In recent decades there has been an ongoing burst of construction to accommodate the influx of visitors and newcomers. Once an almost forgotten, out-of-the-way place, Williamsburg has become a thriving city and one of America's most popular tourist destinations. With photographs from the archives of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and local newspapers, Williamsburg presents a record of building activity and the restoration that returned the city to the eighteenth century and made its streets into pathways to the past. Included are the transformations of the city's two principal institutions, the College of William and Mary and Eastern State Hospital, as well as a photographic curtain call for Paul Green's outdoor drama The Common Glory. The people who have participated in making Williamsburg a vibrant, modern community and the famous visitors who have celebrated its heritage are highlighted in this fitting tribute to an American landmark.

Jefferson’s Legacy of Freedom for the Old Dominion Prior to his death Thomas Jefferson left behind specific instructions for the obelisk monument that was to mark his grave. He requested the following epitaph: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia. These contributions were in his words the “testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered.” It is curious that with all his contributions he chose to note his authorship of a minor state law. Jefferson crafted this statute, not in Philadelphia or one of the other busy cities of the day, but while staying in a small Virginia town on the Rappahannock River named Fredericksburg. /Local historian Michael Aubrecht tells the tale of the creation of this remarkable document and the impact it continues to have.

George Washington was first and foremost a Virginian. Born in the state's Tidewater region, he was reared near Fredericksburg and took up residence at Mount Vernon along the Potomac River.

As a young surveyor, he worked in Virginia's backcountry. He began his military career as a Virginia militia officer on the colony's frontier. The majority of his widespread landholdings were in his native state, and his entrepreneurial endeavors ranged from the swamplands of the Southeast to the upper Potomac River Valley. Historian John Maass explores the numerous sites all over the Commonwealth associated with Washington and demonstrates their lasting importance.

Become a part of history with this interactive book about George Washington!

From the documents that drafted a nation to hand written notes from George Washington himself, this book is a treasure trove of historical information. Opening with a detailed description of Washington's death from a common infection and his harrowing final moments, each chapter is meticulously researched and documented with reference material and fascinating details of Washington's life. Inside hidden pockets and envelopes are documents, letters, and interesting facts guaranteed to keep even the most jaded readers enthralled as they learn about one of America's founding fathers and the first president of the United States.