While visiting Colonial Williamsburg we took the opportunity to see a number of their programs. The most fascinating to me was a visit with George Washington.
For those of you who have not visited Williamsburg, the rebuilt colonial portion is entirely in the period. They have every person from blacksmith to founding father in period dress and prepared to discuss life in their city. I have not met a single individual who was not able to portray their particular character extremely well and have never seen one fall out of character.
The period of Washington's life this actor portrayed was after he had resigned from his military career and before there was any hint of his accepting the nomination for President. At this stage, Washington was a gentleman farmer perfectly content to enjoy the peace and solitude of his farm.
Washington held an hour long conversation from the stage and then had a question and answer period. After the adjournment of the show, individuals could have particular questions addressed, one on one.
I poised the following question during the general on stage performance. Did the founding fathers establish the Constitution as a living article, subject to various interpretations, or was it designed to be read literally and accepted at face value? Washington's answer was that the founding fathers knew there would be at some time a necessity for revision and therefore they allowed for ammendments.
I was not completely happy with the answer so during the one on one period I followed up with a more direct question. The right to bear arms: Did this give every individual the right to carry arms or could this be interpeted to mean that militias had that right?
This was the closest that I've every seen an actor depart from his character. Washington stated that since the militia was made up of all able body men to the age of 60, by necessity all individuals would have to have their own arms to be part of the militia. He then stated that the founding fathers had never forseen the supreme court having the impact upon individual freedoms that it now has. He also stated that the power lies with the individual to address the wrongs within the political arena and force society to remain true to it's initial foundation; The Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
I came away from the event with a refreshed belief in the wisom of our founding fathers.
