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In the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, most Americans were farmers. Explore the rural traditions, self-reliance, economy, and seasonal rhythms of farming life.

The process of drafting the United States Constitution is shown.

This is a 37-minute orientation film, filmed in the spring of 1956, for visitors to historic Colonial Williamsburg, and photographed in the area restored by the Rockefeller Foundation. The plot follows a fictional Virginia planter, John Fry (Jack Lord), who becomes a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses. Through contact with Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and other patriots, he gradually loses his ties with the pro-British faction and casts his lot with the rebels.

To avoid interference from the royal governor of the colony and his marines, the Second Virginia Convention met in Richmond, Virginia on March 20, 1775 to discuss recent proceedings at the First Continental Congress. The meeting turned into a debate over whether or not to arm the colony to resist British forces whose numbers were steadily increasing in North America. Many members preferred to adopt conciliatory measures, but Patrick Henry delivered an impassioned speech, arguing Virginia needed a "well-regulated militia." It was imperative, he declared, that the colony be prepared to oppose King George III. He ended his oration with the phrase: "Give me liberty or give me death!" This documentary, filmed at site of the original convention, provides the historical context for the debates and recreates the most important speeches delivered during the meeting, concluding with Henry's famous address.

Bravery. Loyalty. Sacrifice. Women of the Revolution possessed all of these qualities. Explore the excitement, peril, and individual stories of Deborah Sampson, Mary Perth, Martha Washington, and other women, on both sides of the conflict, who proved their mettle in America's war for independence.

Listen and learn from the "Father of Our Country." George Washington speaks about his early years as a soldier and politician in Virginia.

Backdraft is the story about fire in the 18th century, but more that that, it's the story of how Colonial Williamsburg's historians and historic tradespeople worked together to replicate an 18th century fire engine that can still put out a fire. Consider the threat of fire in a world of wooden buildings, where candles provided light, fireplaces furnished heat, and open stoves were used for cooking. Fire was a danger to everyone. Students learn that it was the duty of every citizen to help fight fires. Students will also learn the scientific principles behind the state of the art 18th century fire engine and how Colonial Williamsburg historians and tradespeople recreated the tools and acquired the skills to build a replica.

"Enslaved" traces the origins of the institution of slavery. In the earliest days of colonial America there were no slaves, but the need for labor led the colonists to seek workers anywhere they could be found. At first they used European systems of servitude-apprentices and indentured servants- but those contractual arrangements eventually gave way to a legalized system of slavery. "Enslaved" features a segment on indentured servants and a segment of the Punch case of 1640, in which a black indentured servant ran away with two white indentured servants. The white men were whipped for their crime, but the black man was sentenced to servitude for life. This was the first documented instance of lifetime servitude on the American colonies. The program also traced the legal progression of slavery in colonial America.

Explores disease, treatment, and the state of medicine in colonial America.

The revivals of the Great Awakening shook Britain's North American colonies from spiritual slumber during the 1730s-1750s. In Virginia it touched men and women whose spiritual needs had been too long neglected by the legally established Anglican Church. In homes, meeting houses, and in open fields, rich and poor, black and white, men and women mingled to hear emotional messages of a personal God and salvation. The Great Awakening rattled and cracked the foundations of hierarchal authority and official religion from Georgia to New England, reverberating through the decades to the Revolution and the collapse of British rule.

Join a young merchant apprentice as he learns his lessons in money and accounts. Just as today, everyone in colonial America from gentleman to slave had access to coin, bills, notes, and credit. Discover how the colonial economy worked.

Take a look at how history is written and reevaluated as new methods of study are introduced. Using the example of Jamestown in 1607, explore the myths and misconceptions of that era: revisit the documents, artifacts, and other evidence through archeology. Learn how every generation sees the evidence in new ways, and how this affects our understanding of the past.

A cat and mouse game ensues when a man faces his greatest enemy: A Cigarette.

Slaves in eighteenth-century Virginia had no rights. They could not gather in large groups, and they could not travel freely. Slave marriages and families were not legally recognized. Yet slaves built and maintained strong communities capable of passing along information outside the hearing of their white masters. 'Trail of Whispers' is the story of how one African-American community hides a runaway slave using its close networks of 'whispered' news and information.

Follow the lives of several journeymen fresh from their apprenticeships in trades and business as they learn how skill and opportunity will impact their careers. Discover which ones will accomplish their dreams of becoming shop masters.

The months of late 1776 were "the times that try men's souls." Join Edward Rutledge, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams as they attend a conference and British admiral Lord Howe, hoping to end the American rebellion peacefully. Discover how the choices of individuals can affect history.

A free, public education for all Americans was not always the standard. In "A Publick Education," Horace Mann traces education methods, which varied depending on economic status, from the colonial period to the one-room schoolhouses of the 1840s where standardized education for all in the community began. The changing role of education in the young democracy is also examined.

Choosing Revolution explores how families were divided on the thorny issue of separation from Great Britain and the stereotypes of loyalist and patriot.

Building History demonstrates how Colonial Williamsburg tradesmen and researchers restore and build its houses and structures, and also rediscover the secrets of 18th-century builders.

Learn the story of the biggest turning point in the Revolutionary War. Follow the people who converged on the tiny village of York in October 1781: the military leaders, common soldiers, and civilians whose lives were changed forever by the siege. Join us to learn why Yorktown was the place where American independence was finally secured.