Religion and the Declaration of Independence
… We rarely think of religion in connection with the observance of Independence Day in the U.S…
Ratifying the Constitution: Religion, Slavery, and the Heated Debate
Did your mother teach you not to talk about religion and politics in polite company? If so, she would have blushed at the amount of debate during the ratification of the Constitution concerning these topics, which raged between 1787 and 1789…
Ella, Sue, and Elizabeth: The Jordan Girls and a Generational Commitment to St. Luke’s
On May 19, 1973, John C. Parker marked the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of Historic St. Luke’s Restoration’s executive committee by noting the limits of a memorial tablet honoring the Jordan sisters, Ella, Susan, and Elizabeth…
Black Literacy in Colonial America: The Impact of the Bray Schools
When Americans generally think about colonial education, we often imagine men like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison pouring over books in their personal libraries. Hardly ever do we reflect on how literacy and education came into contact with those who American society did not consider “elite”. Indeed, I often get looks of confusion or bewilderment when I tell people that I study the history of Black literacy in Colonial Virginia…
The Origins of Race: A Brief History
When we talk about the concept of race in the 21st century, we are discussing a socially constructed idea. For the most part, we are talking about skin color when we use the term today. But, at the dawn of the 17th century, race typically identified a group of people with a common ancestor. That group, just as we see in families today, could be quite diverse…
Bishop James Madison and Religious Freedom
When I speak with people about Bishop James Madison of Virginia, often the initial response is one of confusion. “I didn’t know that James Madison was a bishop,” some have replied, confusing the clergyman with his cousin of the same name, the third president of the United States. But Bishop Madison is a significant historical figure in his own right as the first bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia…
Joseph Bridger Hodsden: War of 1812 Veteran
Joseph Bridger Hodsden was born on March 29, 1776 and died on November 19, 1815. He married Mary Wilson Pasteur on November 23, 1799 and in fifteen brief years managed several farms, fought in the War of 1812 and fathered nine children. His last child, Julia Ann Hodsden, was sadly born after her father had passed away…
Mystery of the Lost Colony Solved? Not So Fast!
A recent Virginia Pilot headline declared “Mystery Solved,” referring to the long unanswered questions about the English attempt at Colonization of the New World in 1587 on what is now the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This so-called “Lost Colony” has been the subject of many archaeological digs, theories, conjecture, a quaint play, and even a horror movie. What happened to those 114 people who sought to compete with Spain, England’s chief rival, in reaping the benefits and resources of the New World?…
Cemetery Preservation: Why Does It Matter?
While not often talked about, cemetery preservation is important and worthy of attention – attention that many cemeteries around the country are not receiving…
A Religious Revolution: American Independence and the Birth of the Protestant Episcopal Church
The 16th and 17th centuries saw horrific conflicts spawned by the religious disputes known as the Reformation. By the 18th century, these conflicts switched to disputes of a more economic and political nature. Most of us don’t think of the American Revolution as a religious conflict and yet religion was a major bone of contention throughout the engagement…
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