There is nothing like it. Just ask Scott Towns.
Mr. Towns wears many hats at Ovilla Christian School in Ovilla, Texas, but his role as a U.S. History teacher is the one that brings him to Richmond, Virginia each year. The annual class trip to Historic St. John’s Church in Richmond is a rite of passage, and St. John’s, says Towns, is the highlight of the trip.
For almost 50 years, the St. John’s Church Foundation has been putting on reenactments of the 1775 Second Virginia Convention where Patrick Henry delivered his monumental ‘Give me liberty or give me death’ speech, changing the course of American history. Called one of the most important speeches in American history, Henry’s argument, which took place inside the church, convinced his fellow delegates to take up arms and get ready to fight the British, who, Henry forewarned, were ready to take hostile action. He was proved right 27 days later when shots were fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, marking the start of the American War for Independence.
Each year hundreds of students enter the church to experience the reenactment of the event. They sit among the delegates, who include George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, dressed in appropriate 18th-century garb, and hear the raucous arguments of the debate. After Henry concludes his argument, the students are invited to join the delegates and vote for “liberty, or tyranny.” No surprise here, liberty wins. After the reenactment, the students pour out of the building to meet the delegates in the yard, taking selfies and engaging with the men they’ve read about in history books, who now stand before them in person.
“Students speak of this event for years. All of our travelers cherish the setting, the event, and the post-event interaction. Each of the actors is kind, patient, and considerate. The efforts for historical excellence are obvious,” says Mr. Towns.
His students are so enamored, in fact, that for years they have made a class donation to the foundation, which is typically put toward new costumes or wigs for the actors. After 250 years, every man surely needs a new waistcoat and knee breeches.
Photo courtesy of St. John’s Church Foundation.
Mr. Towns teaches 7th Grade Texas History, 8th Grade U.S. History, 11th Grade U.S. History, 12th Grade Government/Economics and is the School Safety & Security Director at Ovilla Christian School, Ovilla, Texas.
Learn more at HistoricStJohnsChurch.org.
By Sarah White, Operations Director at St. John’s Church Foundation, and Scott Towns, teacher at Ovilla Christian School.
Photo courtesy of Visit Richmond.
