1699 May Day orations

A series of five speeches were given by five students of the College of William & Mary's grammar school on May Day (1 May O.S.) 1699 as part of "Scholastick Exercises" before an audience of local political leaders with the purpose of convincing members of the Colony of Virginia's General Assembly to move the colony's capital from Jamestown to Middle Plantation and support the college. Organized by Virginia's governor Francis Nicholson and the college's president James Blair, the orations followed the burning of the statehouse in Jamestown in 1698. The speeches were well received by the representatives of the House of Burgesses, leading to the establishment of Williamsburg at Middle Plantation and the moving of the colony capital to the new city.

Nicholson, who had briefly served as Virginia's lieutenant governor before being replaced by Edmund Andros, had returned as Virginia's governor in 1698 after serving as the governor of Maryland. While in Maryland, Nicholson succeeding in moving that colony's capital to Annapolis. The College of William & Mary was chartered in 1693. Established in Middle Plantation under Blair, the college – and its president – had been opposed by Andros before his removal as governor. Upon Nicholson's return to Virginia, he allied with Blair in supporting moving the capital to Middle Plantation, where wealth and influence had gradually shifted over the preceding decades.

The five speeches were given at the Main Building (now the Wren Building) of the college in front of government officials, the college's trustees, and others. The May Day exercises were a well-organized event. The first speech discussed the importance of education and the second speech praised the presence of a school in Virginia. The third speech directly openly addressed the benefits of moving the capital of the colony to Middle Plantation. The fourth speech thanked the supporters of the college and the fifth speech encouraged the colonial government to support the college and promote its success. The speeches succeeded in spurring the capital to be moved, establishing the city of Williamsburg, and developing the community around the college.