Who Else Heard The Cry For Liberty?
Sunday June 18, 2023
3:00 PM
George Washington and William Lee, John Trumbull, 1780.
Who Else Heard the Cry for Liberty
& Lord Dunmore's Promise of Freedom
History tells us that Patrick Henry's 'Liberty or Death' speech had a profound effect on the members of the House of Burgesses, swaying them to put their lives on the line, and take up arms against the King.
What History does not tell us is that members of the House of Burgesses enslaved men who also attended the convention, and that these men were just as affected by this speech as the delegates.
Who were they and what actions did they plot after hearing this iconic speech?
$10 General / $8 Youth 7-15 / Free for 6 and Under
*Tickets to this program are $2 off with a purchase to the 1:30 PM Liberty or Death Reenactment that precedes the program.
William “Billy” Lee, George Washington’s enslaved valet, groom, and military aide, on horseback, as portrayed by John Turnbull 1780. Trumbull had served on Washington’s staff as an aide-de-camp early in the Revolutionary War. He painted this portrait from memory years later, when he was studying in London. It was the first authoritative depiction of Washington available in Europe, and was soon copied widely. The painting is also one of the best-known representations of Lee, depicted in a turban based on a European "orientalist" convention associated with Black figures. An accurate visual portrait of Lee, who Washington freed and granted an annuity in his will, is unknown. (The Met)
House Rules for Historic St. John’s Church
We encourage masks but they are no longer required.
Seating is first come, first served.
There is no food, drink, gum, candy, strollers, backpacks or firearms permitted inside the church.
Bags larger than 16 x 16 x 8 are prohibited inside the church. Any and all bags are subject to inspection. Please leave backpacks and bags inside your vehicle as we have no place to store them.