Skip to main content
250th Anniversary of America
Ensuring Democratic Ideals Thrive
As Alma Mater of the Nation, William & Mary is uniquely positioned to make sure democratic ideals thrive for generations to come. As the United States and the Commonwealth prepare for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, W&M will ensure that our nation’s origin stories are expansive and honest by studying, teaching and illuminating the rights and obligations of 21st-century citizenship.
Upcoming Events
W&M in the News
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Enslaved Black Children Were Educated Here. Now the Public Can Learn the History. Beginning on Juneteenth, a restored Virginia schoolhouse where enslaved and free Black students were taught to read is on view in Colonial Williamsburg.
The Washington Post
Crews unearth relics of enslaved children’s lives at site of 1760s school The excavation of the Williamsburg Bray School has yielded hundreds of artifacts, providing a glimpse into the lives of Black children who attended the school in the 1760s.
The Washington Post
The Williamsburg Bray School is the nation’s oldest surviving school for Black children. Researchers with William & Mary’s Bray School Lab are uncovering the history of the school, its students and their descendants.
The Wall Street Journal (Paywall)
As part of its Democracy Initiative, William & Mary has trained staff and faculty on the nonprofit Aspen Institute’s Better Arguments Project. The training provides tools for managing difficult conversations in challenging times.