# Ep. 302 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Kurt Smith | How Virginia Set the Stage for the Declaration

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/constitutional-chats-presented-by-constituting-america-280406/ep-302-constitutional-chats-podcast-kurt-smith-how-virginia-set-the-stage-for-the-declaration
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/constitutional-chats-presented-by-constituting-america-280406/ep-302-constitutional-chats-podcast-kurt-smith-how-virginia-set-the-stage-for-the-declaration.md
Podcast: [Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America](https://stenobird.com/podcast/constitutional-chats-presented-by-constituting-america-280406)
Published: 2026-05-16T19:27:21+00:00
Episode link: https://constitutionalchats.libsyn.com/ep-302-constitutional-chats-podcast-kurt-smith-how-virginia-set-the-stage-for-the-declaration
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/constitutionalchats/Ep._302_How_Virginia_Set_the_Stage_for_the_Declaration_480.mp4?dest-id=2005235
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Duration seconds: 3390

## Resource

Regular followers of Constituting America know we view the Declaration of Independence as one of the greatest documents ever written. An interesting point to ponder is that it had to come from somewhere, that there was a buildup to its drafting. We can point to a moment in history as the beginning of that buildup: the 5th Virginia Convention that took place immediately after a vote to disband the House of Burgesses. It was in the 5th Virginia Convention that Virginia's vote for independence took place. To help further explain this extraordinary timeline and series of events that led to the Declaration of Independence, we are delighted to welcome Kurt Benjamin Smith. Kurt is a historian and actor who portrays Thomas Jefferson with carefully sourced historical research at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and through The Jefferson Experience.

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## Transcript

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