What is the historical significance of Williamsburg?
From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the capital of England’s oldest, largest, richest, and most populous colony and the seat of power in the new nation’s most influential state. It was in the shops, taverns, government buildings, homes and streets of Williamsburg that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason, and other Virginia patriots established the ideals — liberty, independence and personal freedom — that influenced the founding of our nation and have inspired generations of Americans and others around the world.
