This March, Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore honors the women of the American Revolution for Women's History Month: Anne Roberts inherited land, defied expectations, and became central to a landmark legal case that tested women’s rights and the meaning of freedom in the early republic.

If you live in the Hampton Roads region, you have likely heard the name Crispus Attucks. On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we look beyond the familiar name to the confrontation in Boston that made him the first casualty of the American Revolution and a lasting symbol of protest and sacrifice.

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we tell the story of James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved Virginian who became a trusted spy during the final year of the war. His intelligence helped shape the campaign at Yorktown, yet his own freedom did not come until years later.

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore the winter raid at James Plantation during Benedict Arnold’s campaign in Southeast Virginia. The surprise attack brought heavy Patriot losses, but it also showed that support for independence remained strong even late in the Revolution.

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore the music created by enslaved African Americans in colonial Virginia. From field hollers to early spirituals, these songs carried labor, belief, and resistance, shaping American music in lasting ways.

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we tell the story of Joseph Harris, an enslaved Chesapeake pilot whose escape and naval skill helped influence Lord Dunmore’s proclamation. His story reveals how the fight for independence was also a fight over who would be free.

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we examine Lord Dunmore, Virginia’s last royal governor. Once welcomed by the colony’s leaders, his decisions to shut down the legislature, flee to British ships, and issue a proclamation that reshaped the war helped hasten Virginia’s path to revolution.

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we examine Benedict Arnold before his betrayal. Once hailed as a hero of the Revolution, Arnold’s early service was marked by battlefield success—and mounting frustration with Congress. This episode explores how the foundations of his defection were laid long before it became history’s most famous turn.