A recent visit to Colonial Williamsburg results in inspiration, self-reflection, and a challenge.
Recently, I had the pleasure of quite literally walking in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington as I toured the George Wythe house in Colonial Williamsburg. The house, 90% original, is remarkably preserved. Its namesake was the first professor of law in America who taught just down the street at The College of William and Mary. Jefferson was somewhat of his protégé and spent countless hours studying then practicing law in Wythe’s home.
It was here, under Wythe’s tutelage, that Jefferson was introduced to many of the concepts of the Enlightenment that would greatly shape his worldview and would later be reflected in his writings, most famously in the Declaration of Independence that he penned just a few years later in the sweltering heat of Philadelphia in the summer of ‘76 at the age of the ripe old age of 33.
As I climbed the staircase, running my hand over the bannister as I did so, I couldn't help but wonder at all the conversations that were swirling in the head of young Jefferson as he held this same railing, traversing this same set of stairs. Having made my way upstairs, I entered the bedroom used by Washington while employing the house as his headquarters in 1781, at the age of 49. It was here that he began making plans for the fateful siege of Yorktown, a battle that would force Lord Cornwallis to surrender Britain’s largest standing army on the continent, ultimately ensuring an American victory and securing the independence of the United States.
One house, whose walls witnessed conversations and activities that led to two separate yet related events that would send shockwaves around the world, and whose effects are still being felt today.
Spending time in places such as this reminds me that historic figures like these were really individuals just like us; they were imperfect people caught up in the extraordinary events of their time, making the best decisions they knew could. Prior events in their lives may have prepared them to lead, but the choice to do so was still theirs. Some people rise to the occasion, some do not. We all have the potential to do the same, and like them, the choice is ours. Upon leaving Williamsburg, I was then left with this challenging question: how will I respond to the events of my own time, to the events of my personal life? What will I choose to do?
The decisions we make, or fail to make, as leaders of our businesses, our schools, our homes, may not effect the outcome of the struggle for a new nation, but they can definitely impact the outcome of our lives, and of the lives of those around us, for generations to come. When those generations reflect upon your life, when they walk in your footsteps, how will they remember you?
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