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From the Blog

"Our Virginia" (Five Ponds Press, 2011)

"If we can't speak intelligently about history, then we will have more and more trouble speaking intelligently, period."

When it comes to teaching history, is it enough to have the facts straight? On the blog, EV associate editor Brendan Wolfe explores this question in relation to Our Virginia, the newly revised fourth-grade history textbook from Five Ponds Press. His thoughtful critique—which touches on the book's treatment of the early Jamestown settlement and Bacon's Rebellion—was also reprinted in full on the Washington Post education blog Answer Sheet.

Where's Jefferson?

Image credit: Thomas Jefferson Foundation

One of the most common questions we field about Encyclopedia Virginia is "Where's your Jefferson entry?" It's a good question, and we're pleased to announce that, starting this fall, we'll begin to publish the first entries in an entire section of content devoted to Thomas Jefferson.

This section will cover, among other subjects, Monticello, the founding of the University of Virginia, Sally Hemings, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Poplar Forest, and Jefferson and slavery. We're thrilled to be working with top scholars to bring you the most up-to-date information on this complicated man and the world in which he lived.

Our Latest Entries

Runaway slave advertisement

Check out these recent additions to Encyclopedia Virginia:

Runaway Slaves and Servants in Colonial Virginia: Slaves and indentured servants ran away from their masters for a number of reasons—to flee abuse, to find family, to pursue a better life—and as Virginia came to depend on bound labor, the punishments for escaping became increasingly brutal.

George Washington: We cannot tell a lie: our entry on America's first president cuts through the myth to provide an engaging and comprehensive portrait of man who, upon his death, was hailed as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." 

Languages and Interpreters in Early Virginia Indian Society: Early Virginia Indians spoke in dialects of three different language families; by the twentieth century, most if not all Virginia Indian languages had become extinct. Learn more about these languages, and the attempts to record and reconstruct them, in this entry by section editor Helen C. Rountree.

EV Beyond the Screen

In the next few months, you'll be able to find us at the following events. If you're in attendance, we hope you'll say hello!

And as always, you can find us online at EncyclopediaVirginia.org, on our blog, and on Facebook and Twitter.