Jamestown 2007

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The Virginia state quarter commerates Jameston's quadrennial. Depicted are Godspeed, Discovery, andSusan Constant, the three British East India Company ships that first brought colonists to the settlement that would later be called Jamestown.
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The Virginia state quarter commerates Jameston's quadrennial. Depicted are Godspeed, Discovery, andSusan Constant, the three British East India Company ships that first brought colonists to the settlement that would later be called Jamestown.

Jamestown 2007 is the name of the event commemorating the 400th anniversary (quadrennial) of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. The anniversary is an 18-month long commemoration that will include events and programs planned throughout Virginia as well as in major cities along the East Coast as well as in the United Kingdom. The commemoration began on May 27, 2006 with the sailing of the replica ship Godspeed to major ports along the East Coast.

The highlight of the celebration is expected to be a visit by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. As the current British monarch, the queen's presence at this historic event will further demonstrate the strength of the Anglo-American relations. Elizabeth is the direct descendant and heir of James I of England, under whose authority the settlement was founded and named after, as well as the direct descendant and heir to George III of the United Kingdom, the King who lost the same territory nearly two hundred years later. In November of 2006, she announced that she and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh would indeed be making a state visit to the US in May of 2007. This will be the her first visit to the US since the 1980s.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has made a major commitment to Jamestown 2007 and has enlisted the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as well as large corporate sponsors such as Verizon Communications and the 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).

In February 2006, it was announced that retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor would become the honorary chair of America's 400th Anniversary. In October 2005, she accepted the ceremonial role of becoming the 23rd chancellor of the College of William and Mary, which was founded in nearby Williamsburg in 1693.

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