Coercion to Convention: Organizing Resistance

They've just kind of decided they're going to meet whether the governor says they're going to meet or not. They feel that this is a crisis.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited™, host Maggie Creech explores the transformative year of 1774 in the Virginia colony with guest historian Dr. Cathy Hellier. 

Discover how Virginia's reaction to the Boston Tea Party and Britain's Coercive Acts led to a year full of drama and defiance, shaping the road to revolution. Learn about the symbolic act of a public day of fasting, the dissolution of the House of Burgesses, and the bold steps taken at the First Virginia Convention. This episode examines grassroots democracy and highlighting the economic sacrifices of non-importation and non-exportation agreements. It also reflects on the broader tensions between colonial self-governance and British parliamentary sovereignty that fueled the burgeoning conflict. 

Featured Guest: 

Dr. Cathleene B. Hellier, Senior Historian at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

• Cathy Hellier is currently Senior Historian at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia. Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, she joined the Foundation in 1978 as a historical interpreter. From 1979, she has worked in Historical Research at the Foundation. This department produces original research, primarily on Virginia during the colonial period, and supports programming in the Foundation’s Historic Area. Cathy has master’s degrees in Museum Education and American Studies and a doctorate in American Studies. Her dissertation is on enslaved male domestics in Virginia to 1800, and her other research interests include the politics and ideology of the American Revolution; the community of Williamsburg; history of the family; eighteenth-century English language; dance and deportment; and household management. She and her husband Ben have two grown children, Stephen and Katie. 

Show Notes: 

• 00:00 Introduction to Revolution Revisited 
• 00:38 Setting the Stage: Virginia in 1774 
• 00:58 The Coercive Acts and Virginia's Response 
• 04:00 Symbolic Defiance: A Day of Fasting and Prayer 
• 07:34 The Dissolution of the House of Burgesses 
• 09:53 The Raleigh Tavern Meeting and Non-Importation Agreement 
• 12:34 The First Virginia Convention 
• 13:54 Colonial Perspectives on Power and Rights 
• 26:33 Non-Importation and Non-Exportation: Economic Resistance 
• 35:00 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview 

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2025 Virginia Museum of History & Culture