and joining us aboard our c-span bus today is president thomas jefferson, being played by bill barker who has been portraying thomas jefferson for 22 years at colonial williamsburg. he's in character today and we'll be taking questions as thomas jefferson reflecting back on his life. so mr. president, if i can begin there, what brought you to williamsburg? >> education. the greatest legacy that i could have ever been left by my father. and by father was a man of extensive property and i was his eldest son in a family of ten children. i had three younger brothers and six sisters, but my father passed away when he was but 49 and i but 14. i could not inherit until my majority at the age of 21 years in 1764. but before that, i was able to benefit by the greatest of this legacies, not property, but an education. so i came here to attend the old royal college of the former majesties king william and queen mary, the winter of '59 and '60. i was there for two years. i left to read law. >> and how did that influence you studying law? >> it was perhaps the finest jurist i have ever known. it w

host: we have been talking to president thomas jefferson betrayed by bill barker. what goes into playing thomas jefferson? bill: thank you. into betraying anyone who is not here to speak for themselves, is an understanding of what they wrote ,nd eyewitness accounts particularly after so many years removed from their lifetime. that has been my effort to read jefferson, understand him and that as he grew older, he changed his opinions like we all do. -- we mightably understand that about him. if we choose to read him and care to read him. it is reading jefferson's history that remains the foundation of what i do and what we all do as historical interpreters in colonial williamsburg. get the facts right. host: you have been doing this for over 20 years. how often are you still to this day, stating thomas jefferson, to get into character? bill: almost every day. jeffersonianre than c-span, keeping the people in touch with the government and recent i wanted to make certain i was on the mark there. host: we appreciate you taking the phone calls this morning from our viewe

we'll talk to bill barker who portrays him, he's been portraying him for 22 years at colonial williamsburg, and he will be in character, your chance to ask your questions right after this tour of the capitol. >>> welcome to the capitol building here at colonial williamsburg. the general assembly of the colony of virginia met first at jamestown starting in 1619. they would meet in jamestown for 80 years, finally moving to what was then known as middle plantation and renamed for the king, king william, as williamsburg. by 1704 the capitol building had been built on this spot. this is a reconstruction of the first capitol building. and it would be here from 1704 finally burning down in 1747, rebuilt by 1753 and used until 1779. it is on this spot that founding fathers like patrick henry, george washington and thomas jefferson, learned to be representatives of the people. so while this building is a story of virginia and its history, it is in a far greater sense the history of the entire united states of america. its story is part of our common heritage as citizens. this was the very first gov

will get a chance to talk to president thomas jefferson, who will be per trade portrayed byr -- bill barker. next, jacksonville, florida. >> i would like to thank mr. beatty for specifying that virginia was the oldest british colony in north america. one of my many visits of williamsburg coincided with the archaeological dig at the present site of the coffeehouse. i was curious to know whether there were any archaeological digs ongoing, or any future reconstructions like the coffeehouse? joseph: thanks. out, and i to point should rightly point out that the spanish did establish the first european settlement at saint augustine, right down the road from you. -- yes, about archaeological excavations. we have a variety of excavations going on. i do not want to say all the time, but on an ongoing basis. recently we have done some excavations at whether burn -- tavern.urn's a porch that may have been attached to the site, and we have been working with others in excavations at the bray school. yes, we do have ongoing excavations. i do not think right now we have any grand plans for any new sites t

we'll talk to bill barker who portrays him, he's been portraying him for 22 years at colonial williamsburg, and he will be in character, your chance to ask your questions right after this tour of the capitol.

we will talk to bill barker who were

host: we have been talking to president thomas jefferson betrayed by bill barker. at goes into playing thomas jefferson? bill: thank you. into betraying anyone who is not here to speak for themselves, is an understanding of what they wrote ,nd eyewitness accounts particularly after so many years removed from their lifetime. that has been my effort to read jefferson, understand him and that as he grew older, he changed his opinions like we all do. -- we mightably understand that about him. if we choose to read him and care to read him. it is reading jefferson's history that remains the foundation of what i do and what we all do as historical interpreters in colonial williamsburg. get the facts right. host: you have been doing this for over 20 years. how often are you still to this day, stating thomas jefferson, to get into character? bill: almost every day. jeffersonianre than c-span, keeping the people in touch with the government and recent i wanted to make certain i was on the mark there. host: we appreciate you taking the phone calls this morning from our viewers

of course, not really, but reenactor bill barker was in costume.reta bronner asked his three and a -- what does the second amendment mean to him? here's a portion of that conversation yesterday from colonial williamsburg, virginia. >> what does the second amendment mean to you? how should future generations interpret it? >> one cannot deny that one of the unalienable rights in nature is for one to protect and defend themselves. not a soul can take that away from another individual and is not the duty and purpose of government to simply protect people from entry by one and the other? otherwise, to keep them free, that they may engage their own industry and engage their own improvement. therefore i believe is dr. franklin did, who realized that upon thennocent soul byways and boulevards of philadelphia city might not be protected in a dark alley or otherwise at nighttime, dr. franklin encouraging a police force to be formed in philadelphia city. thean individual still has right to protect themselves and, with good common sense, that ought to be prote

we will talk to bill barker who were tracing, he has put trading for 22 years, and he will be a character and it will be your chance to ask him questions and give him comments.