| 2007 Festivals : America's 400th Anniversary, Jamestown: History |
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The Far East has its Mecca, Palestine its Jersualem, France its Lourdes, and Italy its Loretto, but America's only shrines are her altars of patriotism - the first and most potent being Jamestown; the sire of Virginia, and Virginia the mother of this great Republic. - from a 1907 Virginia guidebook
Music Celebrations International is pleased to be an official partner of America's 400th Anniversary. The goal of this very special anniversary is to capture the spirit, imagination, and diversity of Americans and to develop that energy into a national event at the birthplace of modern America and the cradle of American democratic traditions, cultures, ideologies and principles - 400 years strong.
A Historic Place - A Timeless Event
While visiting in the Historic Triangle area (Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown), musical groups will be able to participate in outstanding sightseeing available at some of the most historic sites in our country's history. There will also be opportunities for groups to view some of the many Anniversary-related events that will take place throughout the year.
The Spirit of Exploration
The founding of Jamestown, America's first permanent English colony, in Virginia in 1607 - 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in Massachusetts - sparked a series of cultural encounters that helped shape the nation and the world. The government, language, customs, beliefs and aspirations of these early Virginians are all part of the United States' heritage today.
The Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery, carrying 105 passengers, one of whom died during the voyage, departed from England in December 1606 and reached the Virginia coast in late April 1607. This spirit of exploration that was evident with the first settlers continues on as an important part of our American culture.
The Foundation of our Nation
The Jamestown settlement continues to be an important part of our national heritage today. The Jamestown colony is one of the great survival stories of American history, including both hardship and heroism. The work ethic of this nation took root when Captain John Smith became the colony's leader in 1608 - the fourth in a succession of council presidents - and established a "no work, no food" policy, an ethic which has given hope to immigrants and nationals of all social strata for 400 years. Even our modern form of government has its roots in the Jamestown colony, as the first representative assembly in the New World convened in the Jamestown church on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly met in response to orders from the Virginia Company "to establish one equal and uniform government over all Virginia" which would provide "just laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people there inhabiting."
What America has Become
American politician and statesman Adlai Stevenson said that, "It was always accounted a virtue in a man to love his country. With us it is now something more than a virtue. It is a necessity. When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect."
With the arrival of the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery, 13 different nations were represented. Those earliest immigrants combined with the Native Americans and later African Americans to create what we know now as the United States of America. The purpose of America's 400th Anniversary is to celebrate not only the early history of our beginnings, but also the America that has become, and the America that will be. Music Celebrations International looks forward to working with your outstanding performing group and participating together in this memorable anniversary!
Links of Interest
Jamestown
Jamestown 2007
History of Jamestown
Virtual Jamestown
Jamestown
Settlement
The Jamestown Online Adventure
Jamestown National Historical Site
Jamestown 1607: Windows to a New World
Jamestown, Virginia (Wikipedia)
Jamestown Colony Timeline
Jamestown 1607-1630
The
Settlement Of Jamestown (by Captian John Smith)
Video: The Real Jamestown, Beyond “The New World” (National Geographic)
Nightmare in
Jamestown (National Geographic)
The New World (Movie)
Jamestown Settlement Photo
Gallery
Historic Jamestowne
(Pictures)
Historic Jamestowne
Love and Hate in Jamestown
Yorktown
Yorktown Victory
Center
Battle of
Yorktown (1781) [Wikipedia]
Yorktown Battlefield
The Battle
of Yorktown
Williamsburg
Colonial
Williamsburg [Wikipedia]
Colonial
Williamsburg History
Colonial Williamsburg
Marketplace
Williamsburg.com
Williamsburg Area Convention and
Visitors Bureau
Colonial Williamsburg
The College of William and Mary
Busch Gardens
Williamsburg
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