Great Cities of the World: Williamsburg, Virginia

Introduction:

John Tyler was elected Vice President of the United States in 1840 as the running mate of William Henry Harrison. He is probably most notable as the Tyler on the back end of Harrison’s famous campaign slogan, ”Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.”  His wife Letitia Tyler was living away from her husband during his vice presidency in their home in Williamsburg, Virginia when she received the news that her husband John had become the 10th President of the United States following the death of Harrison.             Williamsburg, Virginia, is the location of the Tyler Plantation named “Sherwood Forest” which is still owned by the Tyler family today. The grounds are open to the public to visit as well as the house, which remains the longest frame house in America at over 300 feet. John Tyler named his home “Sherwood Forest” in reference to his reputation as a political outlaw.              Sherwood Forest is by no means though the main attraction in Williamsburg, Virginia. The city has become a Mecca of historical and tourist activity. Colonial Williamsburg is home to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which operates the world’s largest living history museum. The restored 18th-century capital of Britain’s largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World is a place to interpret the origins of the idea of America, conceived decades before the American Revolution. The Colonial Williamsburg story of a revolutionary city tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality.

Objectives:

Materials Required:

Procedures:

Extending the Lesson:

Sources & Resources: