Jamestown 2007

Jamestown 400th Anniversary gold five dollar coin

Jamestown 2007 is the name of the organization which planned the events commemorating the 400th anniversary (quadricentennial) of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, the first permanent English-speaking settlement in what is now the United States of America. America's 400th Anniversary was an 18-month-long commemoration including 10 Signature Events, hundreds of community programs and dozens of partner and programs and events. Activities took place throughout Virginia, in major cities along the East Coast, and in the United Kingdom.

The 400th anniversary commemoration helped redefine Jamestown's role in American history. Long regarded by many Americans as a failed settlement or a historical footnote, Jamestown's contributions were brought into sharper focus. Jamestown's legacies of democracy, free enterprise and cultural diversity linked the nation's earliest days to contemporary American life. Claims to these legacies were supported by new archeological discoveries by

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

.

One of the commemoration's greatest achievements was active participation by the three Jamestown cultures - the

African-Americans and Virginia Native Americans

. While major Jamestown observances have been held every 50 years since 1807, America's 400th Anniversary marked the first time representatives of all three cultures developed their own events and messages.

UK events

The

Museum in Docklands in conjunction with the "Journey to the New World: London 1606 to Virginia 1607" temporary exhibition. This exhibition focussed on connections between London and the Virginia settlement, and ran from 23 November 2006 to 13 May 2007.[1]

Another major special exhibition in the UK for the anniversary has been "A New World: England’s first view of America", running from 15 March to 17 June 2007 at the

John White. [2]

US celebrations

Queen Elizabeth II

are given a tour of the Jamestown Archaearium by curator Beverly Straube

In February 2006, it was announced that retired

Norfolk Southern Corp. (which itself has a rich Virginia history, being involved in early railroads; the Norfolk Southern Railway's predecessor railroads, including the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Virginian Railway, provided major transportation services for attendees at the 1907 Jamestown Exposition

).

The commemoration was launched in May 2007 with the 2006 Godspeed Sail, a visit of the replica ship to Alexandria, VA, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Newport, RI. Other major events included Tavis Smiley's 2007 State of the Black Union, the American Indian Intertribal Festival and Jamestown Live!, a webcast reaching more than a million students. The centerpiece of the commemoration was America's Anniversary Weekend, a three-day festival and observance held on the weekend of Jamestown's 400th anniversary (May 11–13, 2007).

In January 2007, the

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip

attended the main ceremonies in May 2007.

Participating dignitaries included

Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities

, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.

Some members of Virginia Indian [1] tribes did not attend the festivities, out of concern over what they perceive the settlement to represent for their people.^[2]^[3]