WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Every Fourth of July, America celebrates the freedoms that our country holds dear, and we honor those who gave their lives to secure our liberty. In Colonial Williamsburg, visitors can relive the spirit of independence that sparked our great nation, as Thomas Jefferson still walks the streets with the help of a troupe of reenactors, historians, and storytellers.
“Jefferson was a pre-Romantic, Romantic writer; his writing of the Declaration of Independence—my God, that thing is full of hope, isn’t it?” said Kurt Smith, who has spent the last decade portraying Thomas Jefferson in Colonial Williamsburg. “But let’s not forget that it’s a declaration of war. That declaration—with every word that he wrote—100 men die. And he knows that. But he doesn’t end with that. He ends with hope.”
In Colonial Williamsburg, where the streets are lined with 18th-century buildings and the sound of musket fire still echoes, Jefferson’s words aren’t confined to the past—they’re a living dialogue. Here, America’s founding story continues to unfold, reminding visitors that liberty is not just history—it’s a responsibility carried into the present.
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As the largest living history museum in the world, Colonial Williamsburg offers a snapshot of America’s beginnings. It’s a place where history is relived every day, and where people are invited to explore who the nation once was, and who it’s still becoming.
“I think a lot of times we ask questions about history because we’re trying to understand ourselves, and history can kind of be a safe mirror to not just investigate the past but investigate who we are as a people,” said Kurt Smith.
Visitors are invited to step back in time to the 18th century, when colonists fought for freedom from British rule, pursuing the radical idea that the people should govern themselves. Yet even as Jefferson championed liberty, the contradiction of slavery remained. Today, his legacy and its complexities still walk these streets.
Jefferson remains at the forefront of America’s story: author of the Declaration of Independence, Virginia’s second governor, and later, the nation’s third president.
“What does your shirt say—’Land of the free, because of the brave?’ Are you brave?” Smith asked an audience member while in character.
With a team of more than a thousand reenactors, 89 original buildings, and 60 million archaeological artifacts, Colonial Williamsburg turns the past into a place people can walk, hear, and experience.
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation was established in 1926 by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and the Rev. Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, with a mission to educate and inspire future generations: ‘That the future may learn from the past.’
“We are accurate down to the stitch,” said Smith. “Everything you need to run an 18th century city—we have actively running here in 2025.”
Smith, originally from Arkansas, spent years performing and teaching theater across the country before finding his calling a decade ago.
“Superstitions and chains of bondage fade like mist in the morning… when we educate the people in this country…” he recited on stage.
After ten years in the role, the line between actor and historical figure has blurred. “I don’t know if Jefferson ever really leaves me,” Smith said. “It’s strange when you learn a second language and they say you’re fluent when you start dreaming… in the language.”
“I think the last dream I had was in 1776—and I was him and we were in Philadelphia—I think we were walking toward the Pennsylvania Statehouse,” he said.
Smith has read all 50,000 surviving letters written by Thomas Jefferson. He has also created more than a dozen original programs tailored for modern audiences, offering fresh insight into a founding father whose influence still resonates.
“This is the most important job that I’ve ever had,” Smith said. “Not a day that goes by, and that’s not hyperbole, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel the honor of putting on these clothes… and getting to say these words.”
Those words once helped give birth to a new nation. “Publish and declare… that these united colonies are and of right, ought to be free and independent… states!” he shouted before a cheering crowd.
Visitors come from all over the country to witness those moments. “We’ve been coming for 40 years and about once or twice a year,” said Greg and Betty Conner.
Another visitor, John Schmidt, who travels 700 miles from Ohio biannually for the chance to walk through history and reflect on freedom’s cost, said, “I just think about that the whole time I’m going through the mountains, how blessed I am and fortunate I am for living in this country.”
Thomas Jefferson lived in a time of revolution and division, and in talking to the man who portrays him every day, not much has changed. “You in 2025 are negotiating with troubles within balance of power,” Smith continued. “You are negotiating foreign wars; you are negotiating equitable or unequal rights. I don’t change a single word, but it hits people differently because of what we are experiencing in our current lives. I think that’s pretty cool.”
As Americans gather once again to celebrate the Fourth of July, marking independence from the British Empire and the right to self-govern, the nation is invited to reflect on a deeper question: What does it really mean to be American?
“So, what I try to do with my conversations… {with the} audience is for them to leave with questions and hope. Then I can go to bed that night and think maybe I did an okay job,” Smith said.
Just as they did in 1776, Jefferson’s words still echo across the centuries. They challenge each generation to defend freedom, seek truth, and uphold the promise of “We the People.”
