Share our appreciation for friends and partners gathered today and acknowledge the leadership of the administration, the General Assembly, american evolution and jamestown your town foundation. Our special appreciation to our partners managing historic jamestown, the National Parks servic service, tribal represents, descendants and members of the society. On this site 400 years ago. Twishd speakers to follow me will kpir the importance of those proceedings and the direct influ i will focus on the persistent efforts of women. It would have been lost if not for the vision and dedication of women. In 1889, mary Jeffrey Gault and Cynthia Tucker coleman founded the association for the preservation for virginia antiquities. Now known as preservation virginia. Their goal was to save and restore disappearing larnd escapes and buildings that embodied our colonial divisions. Successfully securing powder magazine and Mary Washingtons fredericksburg home, the women established an organization, the first in the nation over 130 years ago and have saved more than 500,000 virginia Historic Places. Never veering from their early ambition to acquire jamestown in 1893, they were successful and obtained 22 acres including the 17th Century Church tower and the foundations of the old churches. Within that first decade steam schepps brought guests and ever persuasive they convinced congress to build a sea fall preserving. The colonial games, colonial games of america and many family and descendant societies represented here to construct this church, place monuments, markers and gates in advance of the anniversary. Connections between these organizations and this place of historic memory remain resolute. In early years with annie gault launched an excavation to find the foundations where the First Assembly met. Although amateurs their careful notes provided includes to heartily, senior archaeologist who in 2016 led only the second archaeological investigation of this church miss hartley and her team peeled back the layers of concrete and brick to find evidence of 15 to 20 foot timbered framed church and its foundations. One evening the team stood back in the realization that they were looking at the footings that literally and figuratively represent the foundations of our democracy. The team unearthed the very spot where the governor, his counselors and 22 met in that First Assembly. That we commemorate today. The very place we sit. In historic jamestown and all of our preservation virginia programs, we embrace the belief that Historic Places offer singular opportunities to connect present and future generations with vital lessons about all facets of our complex history. Standing where history happens offers experiences that may be sobering, inspiring and thought provoking. Our preservation efforts strive to capture the complexities of our history and tell the stories of the widely known figures of john smith, chief and governor yeardley and the indian women who lived in the fort walls in the early years. A teenager girl we call jane whose butchered remains speak to the brutal winter. Angela, an angolan woman captured and brought to jamestown on an english ship. With this anniversary Ongoing Research and interpretation builds on the internationally recognized archaeological work initiated in 1994 by dr. William kelso and his team. Today dr. James horn leads jamestown Rediscovery Team to expand the narrative to reflect the perspective of people, english settlers and africans brought unwillingly to the colony. We follow their footsteps here. The archaeological remains of 1617 church survived through the persistence and patience of women. In 1907 at the dedication of the memorial gates, remarking on n legacy, quote, any work that requires sincere, unselfish devotion is always best entrusted to the sympathy of women. Today we commemorate the First Assembly in 1619 and honor all the people, women and men, who ensured that we could stand here where the seeds of our democracy were first planted. Thank you and welcome. [ applause ] good morning and a glorious morning to everyone. Thank you for being here for an incredible commemoration of the founding of this nation and how we have evolved over 400 years. I am Tommy Norment and represent the commonwealth of virginia. It is an enormous opportunity because it is a site and venue of historic jamestown where we are now seated. It also includes reconstruction of the settlement across the causeway and two miles down colonial parkway where freedom was won in 1879 when the world turned upside down at yorktown. As you all know, this venue includes the First Permanent English Settlement when 104 very brave young men and boys landed on may the 13th of 1607. The site also includes not just the first English Settlement but reconstructed remnants and remains of colonial virginia. Between james river and york river you will find sites directly related to our nation and others that involve near destruction of this nation. On this names time island itself cited first confully where ports still exist. Of course when you grow up surrounded by history where Different Things are preserved, interpreted and protected, you simply accept it as part of your surroundings. Its just home. This is my home. I further say that thats why when you see a person in the supermarket locally, for instance, dressed in leggings a west coat or tricon hat, you think nothing of it. Its part of being hem. The same goes for native americans in traditional native american dress and women in large glor feeg dresses of bygone eras. Its just home. Bygone is what we do. History is an occupation. It is a central part of our present and we hope it will always be a respectful part of our future. Our neighbors explore. They teach and they preserve history as a living. Elizabeth, i want to thank you for the many years what you have done for preservation virginia. Elizabeth and i spent a lot of quality time back in 2007, and shes done a marvelous job. Even so we took on the 400th anniversary of Representative Government with all the efforts to better understand the emergence of slavery, the vital role of women and effects of this colony on indigenous native americans. It is a challenge for all of us to do better. We have worked at it very hard. Considerable thought has gone interest it. I honestly do not know what they did in 1719. I do recall what they did in 1819 because i was here to commemorate the 100th and 200th anniversaries. But when the 20th century arrived new accounts and records indicate the efforts of remembrance and commemoration mostly involved a sustained salute of our english roots. In point of fact, we do appreciate our english roots. It is foundational to our law and our current political structure. But now we understand so much more, and it is not by accident. We have worked and worked arduously at that. We have examined the events that occurred here, including their consequen consequences, intended and unintended. We have done so much with greater sensitivity and honesty. It seems to me that it is our duty, it is our stewardship that we owe each other. It is our stewardship that we owe america. And then tell it all as best as we can unvarnished. Theres history and memory. Ill leave it to the scholars to make the necessary distinctions between history and memory. Clearly the two enjoy a very close relationship. Someone once wrote memory remains a subject of reflection and anxiety, not the least because as people live longer, more of them survive without connections to the past. I identify with that. I cant remember things like i used to. Technology and a far more open approach to history may have changed that. I prayerfully hope so. Clearly people yearn to better understand their own ancestry, but we need to pull apart and closely examine national dna, historical milestones include commemorations such as we are celebrating today offer us an opportunity for greater in site and more depth of understanding. We want to remember, commemorate and respect our heritage. I will now say it is an honor to be joined by a contemporary leader who embraces the heritage of our parliamentary and legislative form of government. It is my pleasure to introduce to you sir david lionel, former clerk of the house of commons. Hes the principle constitutional adviser to the house of commons of the United Kingdom and an adviser on all its procedure and businesses. Hes the 50th person to hold your role. President fairfax, sometimes i would need him in the senate of virgin virginia. Sir david hosted 2019 commemoration delegates and has been keenly interested in the history of jamestown and all the relevant matters of today. Werenered to invite sir william to offer remarks on intersection and impact on democracy worldwide. Sir david. [ applause ] thank you for that generous greeting. I know some may have difficulty seeing me staring into the sun. You can shut your eyes, theres nothing to see. On this day, this very day, 400 years ago and this place Something Special happened. The first meeting of an elected assembly in what was then. It was a real meeting. Discursive, im afraid, ultimately productive. It sat here as you well know at the hottest time of the year. Hot enough to kill one of its members. We now have an idea what the weather would have been like through those hot days. A year later a very similar assembly was held in bermuda. Its not just in the spirit of antiquarianism that its to be acknowledged. Its important not only to you all here in virginia, not only throughout the United States and all its state legislatures, which give your country its n e name, but throughout the world, wherever the idea has taken root that people wish to be governed by laws made by their own elected representatives. That is Representative Democracy. Representative democracy is not a perfect rule of government. Its not the rule of the saints. Not even in new england. The 22 purchasers who gathered here 100 years ago were not exceptionally righteous or upright men, and they were all men, they were not doubt liable to all the frailties shown by their successors in elected assemblies over the search rice that followed and all over the world. But the ideal of Representative Democracy first expressed 2,500 years ago in athens and again here in jamestown 400 years ago has survived centuries of bruising contact with real people. Now the Jamestown Assembly because the first child of westminster and the first child occupies a very special place in a parents heart. But you have descendants across the United States, siblings to the north and canada and to the south across central and latin america, across africa and asia and as far as australia. There are 170 members of the interparliamentary union. Thats the union of parliament and assemblies and over 70 of the commonwealth parliamentary association, whose tie im wearing today. Forgive the garish colors. In the north, greenland has a parliament at 64 degrees north. At 52 south smallest parliament, Legislative Assembly of the falkland islands, which meets in a building smaller than this. It has eight elected members but a vigorous democratic tradition, as ive experienced. So this idea obstructed by authorize taertaria authoritarians, resisted by elites, mocked by cynics, sometimes insulted, belittled or bullied, but again and again it raises the idea of a freely elected representative assembly. Wherever people seek free tom and selfrule. In the 1950s and 1960s, it happened in the former european colonies in africa and asia. In the 1990s central and eastern europe, countries freed from soviet control. Most recently in the countries of the arab spring and in burma. As we meet on the streets of hong kong, the independence of the legislative counsel is the principle demand of the demonstrator demonstrators. In sudan people are fighting and dying for an assembly. So they had one simple remedy for which thousands have fought and died over the years to elect their own representatives. And assisting those demands is and should be a common endeavor between the great representative democracies, foremost among them the United States and United Kingdom. Of course it is not, and it never was quite that simple. As a descendant of the british emancipator, William Wilberforce imafter wear your marking the arrival 400 years ago of the first enslaved african men and women in virginia. In 1619 there was no Representative Democracy for virginias women, nor was their justice for those who already occupied the land. And having an assembly did not and could not even begin to right those wrongs. We also know around the world Representative Democracy is under attack from many Different Directions. It will not survive on its own unless it is defended and sustained, and if need be constructively criticized by engaged citizens, which means us. Modern assemblies are different in form to jamestown in 2019. Many have professional representatives, staff, sophisticated purpose built buildings, temples of democracy such as jeffersons wonderful capital in richmond but they are not different in substance. The meeting here 400 years ago of two dozen hot and bothered early settlers in this Little Church marks the humble start of a very big idea, that the best form of government is a Representative Democracy and this this is the best protection against tyranny and arbitrary government. Thats why im profoundly honored to be bringing you greetings from the mother of parliament to the 1619 General Assembly of virginia, its eldest child. Where magna carta was signed is a lowlying marshy field on the banks of a great river. Jamestown echos that site and rule of freedom and law. It was a very special day and so is today. Thank you. Sir david, thank you for those inciteful comments. Perhaps we should emulate and reduce legislature to eight members. Im just trying to figure out who the other seven are going to be. It is indeed my pleasure now to introduce a very distinguished gentleman and friend of mine for many years. Governor Ralph Northam and i have known each other for many, many years. We share a common alma mater which happens to be one of the outstanding public colleges and universities in the commonwealth of virginia. Sometimes known as Virginia Military institute. Our professional interests took is in Different Directions in lifer. Governor northam went on to be recognized as a skilled pediatric neurologist, serving our country as a doctor as i struggled to be a humble smalltown country lawyer. Interestingly enough our careers circled back toward each other in the cause of publicly elected service. In some respects that follows a pattern that began 400 years ago at jamestown. Back then everyone knew each other for better or for worse. They knew each others strengths. They knew their habits, inclinations, all of the attributes that go into the human character in shape of our personal conduct. Personally i think vmi did a world of good for both of us. There everyone gets to shove gets shoved into a same space. Discipline is imposed upon you. Tradition in inculcated into your brain and you begin to realize that human leadership takes many forms as do human ideas. Ultimately, a democracy, you must work out your differences, have a workable system grounded on sound principle, ordered by tried and true is vitally important to that effort. Partisan rhetoric is a distraction no matter from whom is comes. Governor northam would agree with me, i believe, that we should all be respectful to our virginia ancestors for having set in motion a system of Representative Democracy that enables our people, our citizens and americans to resolve disputes, remain safe and prosper. We are all beneficiaries of that legacy. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinguished honor and pleasure to introduce to you his excellence, the 73rd governor of the commonwealth of virginia, ralph s. Northam. [ applause ] good morning. It is a tremendous privilege to be with all of you today. Senator nor minment, thank you the kind introduction, senator cox, good it share the stage with you, thanks for your leadership. Our Lieutenant Governor far fax, thank you for being here, our attorney general. To all of our legislators, thank you for your attendance this morning and thank you for your leadership in virginia. As was said, i served in the state senate along with my senator norman and also presided over that body as Lieutenant Governor. That gave me a deep appreciation for the history of the senate as part of our General Assembly. I appreciate senator norments service and leadership in the senate. I feel privileged to be here with him and all of you commemorating such important events in our state and our countrys history. Were gathered here this morning at the spot where 400 years ago Representative Democracy began on this continent. We look back across these 400 years as the colony of jamestown. From our perspective of 2019, it was hard to imagine what life was like in that colony. Its hard to imagine now when the ideas of america and democracy are so rooted in our minds that jamestown was an experiment that nearly failed. It was not founded to give birth to a new way of governing or to be an incubator for our lofty ideals of freedom. It was founded to make money for investors and establish a foothold on a new continent. It was played early on from a high death rate and martial law style of governance that didnt actually make virginia a very attractive place to come. Potential colonists were not eager to go to virginia. To save the colony, the men running the Virginia Company started to make changes to make the place more attractive with ideas planted by sir edwin sands, they started talking about a different system of government. They directed the creation of a General Assembly. On this very day, july the 30th, in 1619, 22 met here in this place. The Church Stands on the foundation of the one in which they met. Like today, it was hot. It was humid. For six days, they sweated out the details of what would become our first Representative Government. They built a framework to settle disputes, pass laws, and manage the colony through discussion and legislation. And over the years and the centuries, as the Jamestown Colony and the Plymouth Colony became 13 colonies, then states, then those states became united as america, the ideals of freedom and Representative Government have flourished here. They spread out from this very ground here in jamestown. But thats not the only thing that spread from this place. While we mark this history, we must also remember that it is more complex. The story of virginia is rooted in the simultaneous pursuit of both liberty and enslavement because just a few weeks after that first General Assembly in 1619, a ship arrived carrying stolen African People taken from angola. Here they were sold and sold again. The first enslaved African People who were not granted the same freedoms that would be given to white land owning colonists. And here those enslaved africans joined the thousands of virginias first people, the members of the virginia indian tribes, who would also wait centuries to have the same freedoms. So today, as we hold these commemorations of the First Representative Assembly in the free world, we have to remember who it included and who it did not. Thats the paradox of virginia, of america, and of our Representative Democracy. A full accounting demands that we confront and discuss those aspects of our history. It demands that we look not just to a point in time 400 years in the past but at how our commonwealth and our country evolved over the course of those four centuries. In many ways virginia today represents the best of what it means to be american. We know our diversity is our streng strength. We welcome immigrants, refugees and all who stood on this spot 400 years ago, come to virginia in search of a better life. Our doors are open. No matter who you are, no matter where you love, no matter where you came from, you are welcome in virginia. There is nothing, nothing more american than that is. Even as we stand here today proud of the progress weve made, lets not forget we have a long way to go. There are a number, a number of inequities that continue to exist in virginia and beyond. Inequities in access to a worldclass education, inequities in access to health care, inequities in access to business opportunities, to the justice system, and to the voting booth. A true commemoration of our founding of our democracy requires us to examine how weve lived up to our ideals or failed to do so, and it requires we do this work not just today but every day and not just with big speeches or commemorative events but with action. I want to thank the many people and organizations that have worked to create this event tod today, the jamestown, yorktown foundation, Fort Monroe Authority and National Park service. And i want to thank though archaeologists and historians who figured out what happened here, to the food people ate to the laws they passed. I have always believed that if you dont know where you come from, you cant know where youre going. To understand america as it is today, and as it will be tomorr tomorrow, we have to understand america as it was yesterday. This site is an important part of that understanding. I am grateful we come together to talk about all those aspects of our history and the importance of this place and those events 400 years ago. They made us what we are today and they continue to guide us as we work towards a better, a fairer, and a more inclusive tomorrow. May god be with all of you. Thank you very much. Governor northam, thank you very much. I listened very attentively to the cogent comments that you made. I would remind everyone that the moniker or theme of this commemoration was as a result of a lot of deliberate thought. It was american evolution. We continue to evolve our form of Representative Democracy. We continue to evolve the rights and respect minorities of all gender and allcwyuc races. The chair next to me regretfully is vacant today. My friend dating back to before 2007, chief Ann Richardson could not be with us. She was going to share with us an invocation. As i was sitting there i looked at the remarks made and i extracted part of it. She said have said, may we all be united as brothers and sisters, not because of our differences but because of our love of our god, our country and our commonwealth. Thank you, ann. Changing directions a little bit. Today we have members of current day Virginia Assembly who represent the boroughs of the original General Assembly, who will offer some reflections. First, my friend, speaker cox of the Virginia House of delegates is representing the city. He will subsequently be followed by senator monty mason, my c compatriot, who represents the area. Mr. Speaker. Im going to give a few reflections. First i have to say this. I feel like one of the most blessed people in virginia. Sort of look at today, a beautiful day. 35 years ago when i started as a School Teacher i could not imagine standing here today. Its an incredible Representative Democracy. Governor, thank you for your wor words. Its a true citizen legislature. When i think about virginia and how blessed we are, we just really should be thank fful. So for my remarks, here is the wonderful thing about virginia, years later, down the years of history, despite the development of cities, roads, roadways and airports, you may easily find spots particularly along the rivers where things have hardly changed at all. Thats what i would say about a district i represent. Its modern and growing. You can straddle centuries with little effort, may also reach back through time and require guidance for the future. The more you look, the more you examine the past, the more advantages you give yourself to engage in the challenges today. Past heroics give you guidance. I tell my students more or less as i first walked into a classroom, the early days of the first settlements were rough. They were uncertain and full of physical dangers. Life expectancy of an early virginia colonist was abbreviated. It was a young population and mostly male between the ages of 16 and 25 few children knew their grandparents. For native americans, a disruptive force. How could they be otherwise. Still, indians had flexibility due to their culture and habits. Houses were not meant to last long periods because tribes were moving within a reenl from season to season in order to cultivate new lands and find game. The land itself was managed. The indians cleared inner brush of the forest with controlled fires. There were no domesticated animals but dogs, no fences. When they started arriving they could adjust but only to a point they wanted to adjust. Initially did not see settlers lasting very long and eventually they began to push back. Today you can leap back and forth across the centuries. Built bridges, find the historical park in my district. Eighty miles up the river from the original settlement, this second settlement king james first son henry. Sir thomas dale, senator h henricus with countrymen and it is open today, tomorrow and most days. You can visit, buy a souvenir, learn about americas early pioneers. One thing you learn quickly, it was difficult. If the leadership and government either self failed to be responsible to the people and concerns, the leadership or system failed, too. Two words on that subject. Nathaniel bacon, theres a reason why hes memorialized Virginia State capital to this day. The common political changing, ta time for a change, echos through the centuries. What you find is a struggle to combine leadership and ability. Didnt always work. Adjustments, dramatic adjustments made. You see that process as democracy gains a foothold played out over centuries along james river. Ive always tried to emphasize sichings n civics not a fixed thing, changeable as humanity itself. Once said when it came to higs virginians strong on what might have been and weak on what it is. Theres some truth to that. Sometimes more sentiment than sense. This event, examination of ourselves as much as a commemoration of ourselves continues our progress in a more inclusive direction. The passage, evolution of our commonwealth is worth understanding. In my district, along with most of virginia, offers endless opportunities to learn. Thank you. [ applause ] good morning. Distinguished guests its a privilege to have the opportunity to address this assembly on this momentous occasion. Remarkable people have been arriving here for 400 years. You can stack on another 10,000 years if you include native americans as the speaker mentioned, we absolutely must. Its made for a rich and dynamic community. If you do back and look at what was happening 400 years ago, i dont see how we could get any more dynamic or bewildering or contradictory or exciting or historic. Jamestown nearly came to nothing. It advised the world to pivot in a way that remains a core challenge to our nation. The instinct for Representative Government was strong here. The Virginia Company may have opened the door to the General Assembly but it remained open forevermore. It was not always so in parts of colonial america. After the english seized the colony called New Amsterdam and turned it into new york the assembly didnt take hold until the 7th century. A governor strictly ruled. Of course new york gets a few things right, too. The governor was instructed to tolerate all people of all religions and he does sos. In the words of one historian new york becomes a worldly, tolerant, untidy town quite willing to absorb just about everyone. Some things never change. Thaels why i mentioned this. Early inclinations of different colonies, the way we were structured and ordered right from the beginning establishes enduring and lasting characteristics. Dr. Jim horn has written magnificently about his book published last year which he titled 1619. I hope youll all take the opportunity to read it. At this point 400 years ago, the leadership of the Virginia Company has its mindset to, quote, fashion a society that promoted an commitment to anglican ritual and gods word. Just laws, equitable government, an economy based on a wide variety of crops and industries, trade and public works that would benefit the country and multitude of settlers who would shortly flock to the colony, unquote not interested in surviving the intended to prosper. That was the idea. You could see within that core idea the substance of thinking that still an plates virginia to this very day. Jim points out that sir edwin sands strenuously advocated a colony devoted to the public, a commonwealth that would benefit all those who ventured themselves or their money and represented an improvement on English Society principally in respect to we will being moral as well as economic of the people. Sounds sort of familiar, doesnt it . Sands intended the economy would get there involving people in Economic Affairs that made a representative body in jamestown absolutely essential. That is it. Representative democracy starts here and never stops. Can you go through jim horns excellent account of 1619 and read others about the same period and youll encounter over and over again ideas that endure. You will also encounter, and this is the part thats difficult to stomach, youll also encounter ideas on race and enslavement, political participation and basic human rights that have no place in america, nor should they have any place anywhere in the world. Any way you cut it, the godly people at jamestown did ungodly things. This the story, and it is our unvarnished history. It in spires preservation. It inspires denunciation. We learn from both. We learn from it all. With this commemoration, we are intent upon telling the whole story. I am privileged and grateful to represent this region, a community that stayed interesting and instructive for a very long time. I thank you for your participation. Thank you for your recognition of these important moments, and thank you for the opportunity to share these words today. [ applause ] thank you, senator mason. Id like to invite to the dias the reverend. [ applause ] i understand as sir david pointed out that the light from behind is something of a challenge, but i want to offer you the solace that in my case its a halo. So let us stand and pray. God of adventure and sustenance, you created all that is and all that will be. We offer you thanks for the work that you started here in this place. You made us a people. You inspired and initiated our efforts towards the participation of all people and the decisions that guide our nation. Representative government in our land started here. The vehicle of fairness and the common good started here. We are grateful for the principles that undergird this work. Youre the god of truth, and we must tell the truth. Some arrived on these shores seeking a better life. Some arrived here looking for freedom. Some arrived seeking economic possibilities, men and women came here as seekers. The arrival of some marked the end of freedom and shattered the principles we espouse making a mockery of your dream for the human family. The original in hhabitants of ts land were pushed aside and suffered at the hands of our forbearers. Weve ignored the fact all people are made in your image. As we reflect on our beginnings, we pray that we might learn from the past to enable a Better Future and pray that we may cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light now in this mortal life. We pray that we may be seekers in our time. Give us a longing for expansion and opportunity and quality and justice, seem to be in short supply in our time. We cant claim to love you without loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. We pray that you will move us and galvanize us with such divine love. Life is short, and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us. So be swift to love. Make haste to be kind. May the divine mystery, who is beyond our ability to know but made us, and who loves us, and who travels with bless us and keep us in peace. Amen. Thank you. If youd have a seat. Before we conclude, on behalf of the commemoration, i want to extend our genuine appreciation for the appearance of governor ralph northum. My friend, the presiding officer of the senate who tries to keep me in order unsuccessfully. Justin fairfax and the attorney general of the commonwealth of virginia, mark herring. And we have a number of legislators here, including the president pro tem of the senate. From the lynchburg area, steve newman. I want to thank all the legacy groups that are here. As i looked out, i saw one young lady from the dar who is looking very patriotic that reminded me we need to extend our appreciation. I want to thank all the members of the General Assembly who are here. And with that, in the appropriate benediction we just heard, we will now adjourn and continue the commemoration activities over at the jamestown settlement. Thank all of you for being here. [ applause ] we continue with the second part of the 400th anniversary of the first virginia General Assembly commemoration
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