Author and historian Carson Hudson describes the Golden Age of Piracy, from approximately 1680 to 1730, focusing on the lifestyle of pirates. The presentation looks at the life and reputation of Blackbeard in particular.
Discover more about the notorious Blackbeard by reading this article by George Humphrey Yetter.
When slavery was introduced to the colonies in 1600, the reaction was a struggle to become free. Writer Christy Coleman discusses the efforts of slaves to secure freedom and the creation of an Electronic Field Trip on the subject for Colonial Williamsburg.
Interested in learning more about Electronic Field Trips? Click here!
Harvey Bakari, manager of African American history interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the participation of African Americans in the American Revolution and their fates following the war.
Kristen Spivey, a program manager in public history development at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the roles and rights of women in the colonies, looking at legal rights, fashion and dress, and participation in the trades.
Valarie Holmes, an interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, discusses the life of slave Lydia Broadnax, cook to George Wythe, whose role she plays.
Tom Hay, site supervisor of the Courthouse at Colonial Williamsburg, discusses colonial-era court proceedings, crime, and punishment.
Gaynelle McNichols, supervisor of the Capitol and Gaol in Colonial Williamsburg, describes the function of the Gaol and the punishment of criminals in colonial Wiliamsburg.
Bridgette Houston, an African American interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, discusses the process of manumission, by which slaves in colonial Virginia might be freed.
Colonial Williamsburg actor-interpreter James Ingram details the life of Matthew Ashby, a free black man who purchased his wife and two children in order to set them free.
Tom Hay, site supervisor in the Courthouse-Capitol-Gaol ensemble at Colonial Williamsburg, describes several notable escapes from the Gaol during the colonial era and the Revolutionary War.