What Colonial Williamsburg may teach us about politics today

Colonial Williamsburg, capital of the British colony of Virginia, has been preserved as a sprawling museum. Its mission: that "the future may learn from the past."

The crown jewels of Williamsburg, Virginia, are the interpreters, interacting with audiences of our day, but in the context of the world as they would have known it in their time.

By way of example, Thomas Jefferson welcomes visitors: "Good day, friends. How are you faring? You have no complaints? You must not be Virginians! If not from Virginia, where from? Pennsylvania, land of religious anarchy? Welcome! The Ohio Territories? From terra incognito. Welcome to civilization! Upper Canada? Bonjour! Are you immigrating here? Oh, you should. We are trying to encourage immigrants to immigrate here."