The history of Colonial Williamsburg Williamsburg was the
thriving capital of Virginia when the dream of American freedom
and independence was taking shape and the colony was a rich and
powerful land stretching west to the Mississippi River and north
to the Great Lakes. For 81 formative years, from 1699 to 1780,
Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center
of what was then the largest, most populous, and most
influential of the American colonies. It was here that the
fundamental concepts of our republic — responsible leadership, a
sense of public service, self-government, and individual liberty
— were nurtured under the leadership of patriots such as George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and Peyton Randolph.
Near the end of the Revolutionary War and through the influence
of Thomas Jefferson, the seat of government of Virginia was
moved up the peninsula to the safer and more centrally located
city of Richmond. For nearly a century and a half afterward,
Williamsburg was a simple