THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE - AMERICA'S ROOTS

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging of the future but by the past. - Edward Gibbon

How deep is your understanding of America's early history? Do you get the Mayflower, Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria mixed up? Not to mention the Susan Constant, the Godspeed or the Discovery. Do you think that Plymouth Rock was the first settlement on eastern shores, and that the pilgrims were the first settlers? How much do you know about who landed where and when in our nation's early days? What about Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown in Virginia? Are they cities still in existence? And what about Pocahontas? What was she all about? And who was that guy she married - John something?

There is nothing more sobering, than to take a trip to an area you thought you knew something about, only to learn how much you didn't know. I guess that's what life is all about, though. I just returned from a week in Virginia, visiting the historic triangle, and wish to report that my brain is still fuzzy from all that I saw and learned. It's a trip we should all take, either in person or by armchair. It's a trip all teachers should offer their students, starting in the early grades and working up through high school. It should not be one class offered to high school juniors, filled with memorizing dates for a test and random bits of information that do not seem relevant at the time.

What is the historic triangle? (I blush to say I couldn't have answered that question on Jeopardy two weeks ago.) It's comprised of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown in Virginia.

Simply put, and in the preceding order, JAMESTOWN is where our roots began in 1606, when three British ships landed - The Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery - carrying 104 men and boys. This was not a trip to seek religious freedom as was the case of the Pilgrims who didn't arrive at Plymouth Rock until 1620 - thirteen years AFTER Jamestown was founded. These were mostly adventurers who were expecting to find silver, gold and other riches, after which they would return to England to live comfortable lives. This landing set in motion the establishment of Jamestown in 1607, as the first permanent English-speaking colony in America.

I am in awe at the courage it must have taken to cross an ocean in very small, primitive ships, to land in what would prove to be a beautiful, but also hostile setting. The story of how these intrepid fortune seekers explored the area, traded and skirmished with the native people, and finally overcame adversity by colonizing the area, is one that needs to be told and understood by all Americans. During this time there were many stories within stories. Certainly the love relationship between the Indian princess, Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, and how she saved and later married John Smith in that tumultuous time, is one of them.

With the passage of years WILLIAMSBURG became the capital of that area when it was moved from Jamestown in 1699. This thriving city under British rule, is where many of our founding fathers made history. According to a book entitled The Historic Triangle in Virginia by William Snyder, "Washington was noted for his leadership in the French and Indian wars, and George Mason presented the Bill of Rights there. Patrick Henry spoke out against the Stamp Act, and Thomas Jefferson wrote that Henry's speech started us on our path to independence." It is where patriots, disgruntled and chafing under British rule, and opposed to taxation without representation, plotted to take over the country. Patrick Henry's speech "Give me liberty or give me death" on May l7, 1775, was a catalyst that brought about the flight of the British governor in June, and a motion for independence a year later by the Virginians. On June 12, 1776 the Bill of Rights was introduced, Virginia adopted a constitution and Patrick Henry was elected governor. An invasion by the British occurred on May 10, 1781 and the war was fully on until its conclusion on October 19, 1781 in Yorktown.

YORKTOWN was an official port established by the British in 1691, thriving because of the growing tobacco business. In this busy little town tobacco was exchanged for goods like weapons, furniture, fabric and spices. Located on the York River, it is the site of an important battlefield that signaled the end of the American Revolution. It is here that Britain's Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781 to those who would be called Americans. Now Yorktown is a tiny town of 250 permanent residents and thousands of visitors to the battlefield, museums, restaurants, gift shops, and beaches. On the sunny day we visited Yorktown hundreds of people were sunbathing on the beach, a short distance away from where long-ago patriots, fighting and dying, made such a lazy and pleasant day possible.

I'm retired now, without a class of my own, but if I could go back to my teaching roots, I would have a clearer time line of the historical "whos. wheres and whens" than I did. I would start this journey through time on a very simple level, as soon as school started in kindergarten, and build on the information as each year went by. If we teachers had this kind of mandatory continuity in our teaching of history, we might all have a better understanding of who we are as a nation, and how we have evolved and continue to evolve. Maybe there should be an historic time line posted in every classroom right above the number line and alphabet letters, in daily view for teachers and students. If there can be a book called "One Minute Manager" for businessmen and women, why can't there be the same kind of book for educators? Perhaps we should have a complementing new curriculum called "The One-Minute U.S. History Teacher - A journey Through Time."

I am not hopeful that this will happen, so instead I suggest reading what you can about the historic triangle, and taking a minute out of your day to give thanks to those early American heroes.
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BOOK NOOK

The Official Guide to American's Historic Triangle, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007, Williamsburg, Virginia, http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/.

This is a complete planning guide to Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, including historical information, illustrations, both modern and historical, and practical information such as where to stay and eat and travel tips to make the trip memorable.

The Historic Triangle in Virginia, written by Willaim Snyder, Williamsburg, VA

"A story of our country's beginnings through beautiful photographs and wonderful tidbits that intrigue, amuse and enlighten." A very easy read that gives a good overview of the three areas - Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown.