Product Description
In 1932, John D. Rockefeller Jr. chose a motto for Colonial Williamsburg: "That the future may learn from the past." One hundred years after the organization was founded – and 250 years after the United States was founded – that motto is more appropriate than ever.
That the Future May Learn from the Past chronicles how Colonial Williamsburg has evolved over the last century to educate the world about America's founding. Limited initially to a focus on architecture and design, its presentations grew to include patriotic lessons about the nation’s Founders, and ultimately, to reflect the far more nuanced and comprehensive history for which it is known today. Over time, the scope of Colonial Williamsburg's programming came to include the Revolutionary as well as the Colonial era and not just famous Founders but also enslaved and free Black people, Indigenous Americans, women, and others who helped build the nation. Along the way, Colonial Williamsburg's historians, architectural historians, archaeologists, curators, conservators, and even moviemakers transformed their fields, influencing their peers well beyond Williamsburg.
That the Future May Learn From the Past sheds new light on the history of Colonial Williamsburg — and how American history has been presented in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Features
- A Colonial Williamsburg Publication
- Chronicles the first 100 years of Colonial Williamsburg's history
- 200 pages, including archival photographs
- Measures 9"W x 11"H
Inspiration
The revolutionary spirit of the 18th century lives on at Colonial Williamsburg every day — through bold ideas, groundbreaking preservation, hands-on education, and dynamic civic engagement. As we celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary and Colonial Williamsburg's 100th, we welcome America — and the world — to join us in 2026 in honoring the past, engaging the present, and inspiring the future. See our 2026 digital planner on our main website to learn more about the monumental year ahead.
