Last weekend in Church Hill, Richmond did something that only Richmond can do — it let history walk and talk right in front of us.
Inside St. John’s Church, the scene was familiar. A reenactor delivered Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech to an attentive audience, a ritual that’s been part of the city’s cultural calendar for years. But this time marked the 250th anniversary, and just outside, something different was unfolding. Protesters had gathered, timing their demonstration with the reenactment. They held signs that read, “We resisted King George. We will resist Trump,” drawing a pointed connection between past revolutions and present-day resistance. And the governor was there. So was special guest Ken Burns. And there, on that narrow stretch of East Broad Street, the meaning of liberty became something more than a historical talking point. It became active. Alive. Disputed.
The tension between the reenactment and the protest wasn’t a contradiction — it was a continuation. And if you want to understand that, Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation, now on view at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, is a good place to start.
Liberty as a Living Question
According to Andrew Talkov, Sr. Director of Curatorial Affairs at VMHC and the curator behind the exhibition, the American Revolution wasn’t a clean ending — it was the beginning of a much longer and messier fight over what liberty really means.
“The revolution continues in order to expand liberty to larger groups of people… women, African Americans, immigrants, workers,” Talkov told me. “For 250 years, people have been shaping that word — liberty — to mean something personal to them.”
That’s the goal of the exhibition: not just to look backward at the birth of a nation, but to ask visitors to reflect on where they fit in the larger story. “What does liberty mean to you?” Talkov asks. “And what are you willing to do to continue that journey?”
A Story of High Stakes
What Give Me Liberty does well — and what many classroom history books don’t — is remind you that the people involved weren’t abstractions. Patrick Henry’s fiery speech was more than rhetoric; it was a radical move that bordered on treason. The men gathered at St. John’s in 1775 weren’t all convinced. Some still hoped the king might side with them over Parliament. Others, like Henry, saw a clean break as the only way forward.
“Everyone came to St. John’s Church at different levels of what they were willing to do for liberty,” said Talkov. “Patrick Henry was able to sway them. Great orators can do that. Individuals can do that.”
It’s a reminder that individual choices shape history — and that ordinary people, not just founding fathers, are part of that arc.
The Hypocrisy at the Heart
The exhibit also doesn’t shy away from the deep contradictions of Virginia’s revolutionary moment — particularly when it comes to slavery.
One of the central artifacts is a reproduction of the “Liberty to Slaves” frock, worn by Black soldiers who fought for the British after Lord Dunmore, the last Royal Governor of Virginia, promised freedom to enslaved people willing to take up arms. That proclamation both terrified and enraged Virginia’s white elite, who saw it as a direct threat to their social and economic order.
“He weaponized the greatest fear that white Virginians had — that the 40% of their population that was enslaved would rebel,” Talkov explained. “It had a dual effect: it pushed many toward the Patriot cause, and it offered a real, tangible hope of freedom to thousands.”
It’s not a story often told — or when it is, it’s buried under tidy narratives of patriotism and progress. But Give Me Libertybrings these tensions forward, refusing to let the Revolution be remembered as a clean, uncomplicated fight for freedom.
Still Fighting for Freedom
One of things Talkov said to me isn’t even from the Revolutionary era but it resonated — it’s from the Civil War. A Black regiment fighting for the Union chose its motto from a 1775 declaration drafted by Thomas Jefferson: “Rather die freed men than be slaves.” It’s a line that connects the Revolution to the fight to end slavery, to civil rights, and to the protests of today.
“Black men have fought in every one of America’s wars, always with the hope that they would be valued as humans,” Talkov said. “That story didn’t end in 1776.”
And maybe that’s the whole point. When people show up outside St. John’s Church with protest signs while inside, others reenact a fiery speech about freedom, it’s not a clash. It’s a conversation that’s been going on for 250 years.
Give Me Liberty is open at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture through January 4, 2026. If you’re wondering whether history still matters, start there — and prepare to see just how close to the present it really is.
More information HERE.
Also check out, Revolution Revisited™ is a companion podcast to Give Me Liberty, offering a fresh take on the American Revolution. Hear from historians and experts as they explore untold stories, key artifacts, and the enduring impact of liberty—part of the VMHC’s 250th Initiative. More than history—it’s the story behind the story HERE
Main image: No Kings Protest at St. John’s Church March 24th 2025, photo by Dave Parrish
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Photos by Danni Flakes
