A Common Cause To All

A Convening of States on the 250th Anniversary of the call for Committees of Correspondence

March 10 – 12, 2023

Colonial Williamsburg Fife & Drum.
Thomas Jefferson addresses the crowd on the 250th anniversary of the Committee of Correspondence.
Guest Speaker Carly Fiorina, Chair of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Panel Discussion with Barbara Hamm Lee, Christy Coleman, Nat Shieldley, Scott Stephenson, and Noelle Trent
Virginia LOVEworks sign
Guest Speaker Bill Whitaker, 60 Minutes Correspondent
VA250 Chair, Delegate Terry Austin, affirms the "Our Common Cause Resolution"
Guest speaker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Stacy Schiff
Gift bags for attendees - Thank you to all who donated (see sidebar)
VA250 Executive Director, Cheryl Wilson, presents to the Virginia city and county representatives

Photo Credit: Kathy Taylor Scott Photography, LLC

“Welcome to Virginia. We are all now Americans.”

Kurt Smith as Thomas Jefferson

During this first gathering of states to plan for the 250th anniversary of American independence, planners from 34 states and more than 50 Virginia localities gathered in Williamsburg for a weekend of collaboration, cooperation, and education.

Mirroring the Committees of Correspondence, through which colonies began to communicate and unify action, A Common Cause to All catapulted Virginia into a national leadership role for the semiquincentennial, convening planners, seeking partnerships, and sharing information. The event was overwhelmingly well-received, with a chorus of requests for the continuation of such convenings each year.

The nearly 300 attendees engaged in presentation of the latest data on what Americans are looking for in the 250th, networking opportunities, and inspiration provided by the commission and its partners, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.

A Common Cause To All Resolution March12.2023 Border

Culminating the weekend, an emotion-packed Closing Ceremony was held on the steps of the Raleigh Tavern, where Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other members of Virginia’s Committee of Correspondence met, 250 years earlier. Delegates unanimously adopted a Resolution of the States Gathered in Partnership, pledging to join in a new common cause – for all Americans to unite in reflection, celebration, and aspiration as we continue our national journey together.

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