In the first week of November 2022, my wife, Renee, and I visited JYF and Colonial Williamsburg from South Carolina as media specialists gathering information for the upcoming 250th celebration of our country’s independence. We compiled Revolutionary War facts and Colonial lifestyle information from the many knowledgeable history interpreters and staffers at these extraordinary Virginian sites. With this information, Renee and I hope to engage, educate, and inspire others to cherish our American heritage.
Renee, as an educator, and I, as a writer, produce articles, books, and living history presentations to raise awareness of South Carolina’s deep involvement in the American Revolution. However, winning this war against tyranny required the combined efforts of all thirteen original Colonies. The happenings in each Colony had a bearing on them all. It was a sink-or-swim period in American history. We would rise as a free nation or become a vassal state ruled by a king. Overviews like this are excellent for the history classroom, but Renee and I want to remind everyone that our ancestors were real people with thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams – not just words on a page or entertainment on a screen. State and local 250th Anniversary committees have formed to promote research, preservation, and tourism of museums and battlegrounds. South Carolina, touting the most Revolutionary War battles and skirmishes of all the Colonies combined, is working hard to promote its many museums and battlefields. Of course, Colonial Williamsburg has been a model living history museum for many years. For others to mimic CW’s successful methods is the height of respect. Yes, Renee and I brought home Virginia ideas to help improve our 250th Committee efforts. We invite Virginians to visit South Carolina’s Liberty Trail (https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/liberty-trail) and other historic Revolutionary War sites for the same purpose. After all, we are one nation with extraordinary freedoms thanks to our forbearers. Let’s share what we know about them!
You may contact Richard C. Meehan, Jr. through his publisher Noggin Universe Press (nogginuniverse.com).
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