July 4, 1776, may be the most famous day in U.S. history, but those living in Williamsburg at the time did not know of its significance for 16 days.
Word of the signing of the Declaration of Independence hit the newsstands July 20 when the Virginia Gazette reprinted it. A reading of the document at the courthouse followed five days later.
“Thursday the 25th instant the Declaration of Independence of the United Colonies was proclaimed here, and received with universal applause under a discharge of cannon, firing of small arms, illuminations in the evening …” read a July 29 Virginia Gazette article detailing the reading.
John Adams had predicted in a letter to his wife that July 2 – the day delegates from the 13 colonies passed the resolution declaring independence from Britain – would be celebrated “by succeeding generations.” But it is the signing of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, which John Adams and Benjamin Franklin helped to draft, that is celebrated 237 years later.
But despite this monumental shift for the Colonies, the colonists in Williamsburg had much of their focus on more local news, said Dr. Ed Ayres, a historian for Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
Patrick Henry had been inaugurated as governor on July 6 and a new constitution for the commonwealth had been enacted.
Also, Virginians had become fascinated with the whereabouts of the British royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore – John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore – who was considered an “active threat” at the time, Ayres said. Lord Dunmore was sailing the various rivers, had burned Norfolk and been sighted on Gwynn’s Island in Gloucester. On July 9, Patriots – those rebelling against British rule – pulled together to drive him away.
By August, Dunmore had given up and left Virginia forever.
“A Captain of a vessel, who is just arrived with powder and arms, informs, that he met with Lord Dunmore’s fleet of the Capes … They have been several days lying in Lynhaven Bay, and have burnt some small vessels which probably they had not men to manage, or were unfit for a voyage.—May they never return,” reads an Aug. 10 article from the Gazette.
Virginia had fewer Loyalists – those loyal to the British crown – than other colonies, though Williamsburg itself did have its share of colonists who found Great Britain more appealing than America, Ayres said.
“Williamsburg, being the center of trade and commerce, had a population that probably wasn’t really representative of Virginia as a whole,” he said, explaining many merchants and craftsmen had trouble adjusting to life in Williamsburg.
Many of the Loyalists fled around this time as expectations of patriotism ramped up around Virginia. Each county had a committee of safety that was responsible for policing patriotism.
“If you didn’t demonstrate your patriotism or commitment … they would have a stern talking with you and you could be tarred and feathered,” Ayres said.
Patriotism did not turn into the Fourth of July celebration now enjoyed by millions of Americans for many years after 1776, though Ayres is unsure when the trend hit the area.
“The big thing in that time was to fire off guns. That was their thing,” Ayres said.
To see listing of Fourth of July events in the Historic Triangle, click here.
