Share our appreciation for friends and partners gathered today and acknowledge the leadership of the administration, the General Assembly, american evolution and jamestown your town foundation. Our special appreciation to our partners managing historic jamestown, the National Parks servic service, tribal represents, descendants and members of the society. On this site 400 years ago. Twishd speakers to follow me will kpir the importance of those proceedings and the direct influ i will focus on the persistent efforts of women. It would have been lost if not for the vision and dedication of women. In 1889, mary Jeffrey Gault and Cynthia Tucker coleman founded the association for the preservation for virginia antiquities. Now known as preservation virginia. Their goal was to save and restore disappearing larnd escapes and buildings that embodied our colonial divisions. Successfully securing powder magazine and Mary Washingtons fredericksburg home, the women established an organization, the first in the nation over 130 years ago and have saved more than 500,000 virginia Historic Places. Never veering from their early ambition to acquire jamestown in 1893, they were successful and obtained 22 acres including the 17th Century Church tower and the foundations of the old churches. Within that first decade steam schepps brought guests and ever persuasive they convinced congress to build a sea fall preserving. The colonial games, colonial games of america and many family and descendant societies represented here to construct this church, place monuments, markers and gates in advance of the anniversary. Connections between these organizations and this place of historic memory remain resolute. In early years with annie gault launched an excavation to find the foundations where the First Assembly met. Although amateurs their careful notes provided includes to heartily, senior archaeologist who in 2016 led only the second archaeological investigation of this church miss hartley and her team peeled back the layers of concrete and brick to find evidence of 15 to 20 foot timbered framed church and its foundations. One evening the team stood back in the realization that they were looking at the footings that literally and figuratively represent the foundations of our democracy. The team unearthed the very spot where the governor, his counselors and 22 met in that First Assembly. That we commemorate today. The very place we sit. In historic jamestown and all of our preservation virginia programs, we embrace the belief that Historic Places offer singular opportunities to connect present and future generations with vital lessons about all facets of our complex history. Standing where history happens offers experiences that may be sobering, inspiring and thought provoking. Our preservation efforts strive to capture the complexities of our history and tell the stories of the widely known figures of john smith, chief and governor yeardley and the indian women who lived in the fort walls in the early years. A teenager girl we call jane whose butchered remains speak to the brutal winter. Angela, an angolan woman captured and brought to jamestown on an english ship. With this anniversary Ongoing Research and interpretation builds on the internationally recognized archaeological work initiated in 1994 by dr. William kelso and his team. Today dr. James horn leads jamestown Rediscovery Team to expand the narrative to reflect the perspective of people, english settlers and africans brought unwillingly to the colony. We follow their footsteps here. The archaeological remains of 1617 church survived through the persistence and patience of women. In 1907 at the dedication of the memorial gates, remarking on n legacy, quote, any work that requires sincere, unselfish devotion is always best entrusted to the sympathy of women. Today we commemorate the First Assembly in 1619 and honor all the people, women and men, who ensured that we could stand here where the seeds of our democracy were first planted. Thank you and welcome. [ applause ] good morning and a glorious morning to everyone. Thank you for being here for an incredible commemoration of the founding of this nation and how we have evolved over 400 years. I am Tommy Norment and represent the commonwealth of virginia. It is an enormous opportunity because it is a site and venue of historic jamestown where we are now seated. It also includes reconstruction of the settlement across the causeway and two miles down colonial parkway where freedom was won in 1879 when the world turned upside down at yorktown. As you all know, this venue includes the First PermanentEnglish Settlement when 104 very brave young men and boys landed on may the 13th of 1607. The site also includes not just the first English Settlement but reconstructed remnants and remains of colonial virginia. Between james river and york river you will find sites directly related to our nation and others that involve near destruction of this nation. On this names time island itself cited first confully where ports still exist. Of course when you grow up surrounded by history where Different Things are preserved, interpreted and protected, you simply accept it as part of your surroundings. Its just home. This is my home. I further say that thats why when you see a person in the supermarket locally, for instance, dressed in leggings a west coat or tricon hat, you think nothing of it. Its part of being hem. The same goes for native americans in traditional native american dress and women in large glor feeg dresses of bygone eras. Its just home. Bygone is what we do. History is an occupation. It is a central part of our present and we hope it will always be a respectful part of our future. Our neighbors explore. They teach and they preserve history as a living. Elizabeth, i want to thank you for the many years what you have done for preservation virginia. Elizabeth and i spent a lot of quality time back in 2007, and shes done a marvelous job. Even so we took on the 400th anniversary of Representative Government with all the efforts to better understand the emergence of slavery, the vital role of women and effects of this colony on indigenous native americans. It is a challenge for all of us to do better. We have worked at it very hard. Considerable thought has gone interest it. I honestly do not know what they did in 1719. I do recall what they did in 1819 because i was here to commemorate the 100th and 200th anniversaries. But when the 20th century arrived new accounts and records indicate the efforts of remembrance and commemoration mostly involved a sustained salute of our english roots. In point of fact, we do appreciate our english roots. It is foundational to our law and our current political structure. But now we understand so much more, and it is not by accident. We have worked and worked arduously at that. We have examined the events that occurred here, including their consequen consequences, intended and unintended. We have done so much with greater sensitivity and honesty. It seems to me that it is our duty, it is our stewardship that we owe each other. It is our stewardship that we owe america. And then tell it all as best as we can unvarnished. Theres history and memory. Ill leave it to the scholars to make the necessary distinctions between history and memory. Clearly the two enjoy a very close relationship. Someone once wrote memory remains a subject of reflection and anxiety, not the least because as people live longer, more of them survive without connections to the past. I identify with that. I cant remember things like i used to. Technology and a far more open approach to history may have changed that. I prayerfully hope so. Clearly people yearn to better understand their own ancestry, but we need to pull apart and closely examine national dna, historical milestones include commemorations such as we are celebrating today offer us an opportunity for greater in site and more depth of understanding. We want to remember, commemorate and respect our heritage. I will now say it is an honor to be joined by a contemporary leader who embraces the heritage of our parliamentary and legislative form of government. It is my pleasure to introduce to you sir david lionel, former clerk of the house of commons. Hes the principle constitutional adviser to the house of commons of the United Kingdom and an adviser on all its procedure and businesses. Hes the 50th person to hold your role. President fairfax, sometimes i would need him in the senate of virgin virginia. Sir david hosted 2019 commemoration delegates and has been keenly interested in the history of jamestown and all the relevant matters of today. Werenered to invite sir william to offer remarks on intersection and impact on democracy worldwide. Sir david. [ applause ] thank you for that generous greeting. I know some may have difficulty seeing me staring into the sun. You can shut your eyes, theres nothing to see. On this day, this very day, 400 years ago and this place Something Special happened. The first meeting of an elected assembly in what was then. It was a real meeting. Discursive, im afraid, ultimately productive. It sat here as you well know at the hottest time of the year. Hot enough to kill one of its members. We now have an idea what the weather would have been like through those hot days. A year later a very similar assembly was held in bermuda. Its not just in the spirit of antiquarianism that its to be acknowledged. Its important not only to you all here in virginia, not only throughout the United States and all its state legislatures, which give your country its n e name, but throughout the world, wherever the idea has taken root that people wish to be governed by laws made by their own elected representatives. That is Representative Democracy. Representative democracy is not a perfect rule of government. Its not the rule of the saints. Not even in new england. The 22 purchasers who gathered here 100 years ago were not exceptionally righteous or upright men, and they were all men, they were not doubt liable to all the frailties shown by their successors in elected assemblies over the search rice that followed and all over the world. But the ideal of Representative Democracy first expressed 2,500 years ago in athens and again here in jamestown 400 years ago has survived centuries of bruising contact with real people. Now the Jamestown Assembly because the first child of westminster and the first child occupies a very special place in a parents heart. But you have descendants across the United States, siblings to the north and canada and to the south across central and latin america, across africa and asia and as far as australia. There are 170 members of the interparliamentary union. Thats the union of parliament and assemblies and over 70 of the commonwealth parliamentary association, whose tie im wearing today. Forgive the garish colors. In the north, greenland has a parliament at 64 degrees north. At 52 south smallest parliament, Legislative Assembly of the falkland islands, which meets in a building smaller than this. It has eight elected members but a vigorous democratic tradition, as ive experienced. So this idea obstructed by authorize taertaria authoritarians, resisted by elites, mocked by cynics, sometimes insulted, belittled or bullied, but again and again it raises the idea of a freely elected representative assembly. Wherever people seek free tom and selfrule. In the 1950s and 1960s, it happened in the former european colonies in africa and asia. In the 1990s central and eastern europe, countries freed from soviet control. Most recently in the countries of the arab spring and in burma. As we meet on the streets of hong kong, the independence of the legislative counsel is the principle demand of the demonstrator demonstrators. In sudan people are fighting and dying for an assembly. So they had one simple remedy for which thousands have fought and died over the years to elect their own representatives. And assisting those demands is and should be a common endeavor between the great representative democracies, foremost among them the United States and United Kingdom. Of course it is not, and it never was quite that simple. As a descendant of the british emancipator, William Wilberforce imafter wear your marking the arrival 400 years ago of the first enslaved african men and women in virginia. In 1619 there was no Representative Democracy for virginias women, nor was their justice for those who already occupied the land. And having an assembly did not and could not even begin to right those wrongs. We also know around the world Representative Democracy is under attack from many Different Directions. It will not survive on its own unless it is defended and sustained, and if need be constructively criticized by engaged citizens, which means us. Modern assemblies are different in form to jamestown in 2019. Many have professional representatives, staff, sophisticated purpose built buildings, temples of democracy such as jeffersons wonderful capital in richmond but they are not different in substance. The meeting here 400 years ago of two dozen hot and bothered early settlers in this Little Church marks the humble start of a very big idea, that the best form of government is a Representative Democracy and this this is the best protection against tyranny and arbitrary government. Thats why im profoundly honored to be bringing you greetings from the mother of parliament to the 1619 General Assembly of virginia, its eldest child. Where magna carta was signed is a lowlying marshy field on the banks of a great river. Jamestown echos that site and rule of freedom and law. It was a very special day and so is today. Thank you. Sir david, thank you for those inciteful comments. Perhaps we should emulate and reduce legislature to eight members. Im just trying to figure out who the other seven are going to be. It is indeed my pleasure now to introduce a very distinguished gentleman and friend of mine for many years. Governor Ralph Northam and i have known each other for many, many years. We share a common alma mater which happens to be one of the outstanding public colleges and universities in the commonwealth of virginia. Sometimes known as Virginia Military institute. Our professional interests took is in Different Directions in lifer. Governor northam went on to be recognized as a skilled pediatric neurologist, serving our country as a doctor as i struggled to be a humble smalltown country lawyer. Interestingly enough our careers circled back toward each other in the cause of publicly elected service. In some respects that follows a pattern that began 400 years ago at jamestown. Back then everyone knew each other for better or for worse. They knew each others strengths. They knew their habits, inclinations, all of the attributes that go into the human character in shape of our personal conduct. Personally i think vmi did a world of good for both of us. There everyone gets to shove gets shoved into a same space. Discipline is imposed upon you. Tradition in inculcated into your brain and you begin to realize that human leadership takes many forms as do human ideas. Ultimately, a democracy, you must work out your differences, have a workable system grounded on sound principle, ordered by tried and true is vitally important to that effort. Partisan rhetoric is a distraction no matter from whom is comes. Governor northam would agree with me, i believe, that we should all be respectful to our virginia ancestors for having set in motion a system of Representative Democracy that enables our people, our citizens and americans to resolve disputes, remain safe and prosper. We are all beneficiaries of that legacy. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinguished honor and pleasure to introduce to you his excellence, the 73rd governor of the commonwealth of virginia, ralph s. Northam. [ applause ] good morning. It is a tremendous privilege to be with all of you today. Senator nor minment, thank you the kind introduction, senator cox, good it share the stage with you, thanks for your leadership. Our Lieutenant Governor far fax, thank you for being here, our attorney general. To all of our legislators, thank you for your attendance this morning and thank you for your leadership in virginia. As was said, i served in the state senate along with my senator norman and also presided over that body as Lieutenant Governor. That gave me a deep appreciation for the history of the senate as part of our General Assembly. I appreciate senator norments service and leadership in the senate. I feel privileged to be here with him and all of you commemorating such important events in our state and our countrys history. Were gathered here this morning at the spot where 400 years ago Representative Democracy began on this continent. We look back across these 400 years as the colony of jamestown. From our perspective of 2019, it was hard to imagine what life was like in that colony. Its hard to imagine now when the ideas of america and democracy are so rooted in our minds that jamestown was an experiment that nearly failed. It was not founded to give birth to a new way of governing or to be an incubator for our lofty ideals of freedom. It was founded to