Portal:Virginia
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The Commonwealth of Virginia (named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the Virgin Queen) is one of the original thirteen colonies of the United States that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. It is located in the Southern United States but is sometimes included, geographically, in the Mid-Atlantic States. It is one of four states that use the name commonwealth. Virginia was the first part of the Americas to be colonized permanently by England.
Virginia is known as the "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson), more than any other state. Four of the first five presidents were from Virginia, and seven of the first twelve. The most recent Virginian president was Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president. Virginia has also been known as the "Mother of States", because portions of the original Colony subsequently became Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia as well as some portions of Ohio.
The History of Richmond, Virginia as a modern city dates back to the early seventeenth century, and crucial to the development of the colony of Virginia, the United States Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. After Reconstruction, Richmond's location helped it develop a diversified economy and as a land transportation hub. Richmond attracted businesses relocating from other parts of the country as one of the northernmost cities of the right-to-work states.
In 1607, James I granted a royal charter to the Virginia Company of London to settle colonists in North America. After the first permanent English settlement was established later that year at Jamestown, Captain Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith set sail ten days after landing at Jamestown, traveling northwest up Powhatan's River (now known as the James River) to Powhatan Hill. The first expedition consisted of 120 men from Jamestown, and made the first attempt to settle at the Falls of the James, located between the 14th Street Bridge in modern downtown Richmond and the Pony Pasture (a recreational area along the banks of the river south of the City of Richmond). The settlement was made at this location as it is the highest navigable site along the James River. (read more...)
John Trumbull's (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) famous painting is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration. What the painting actually depicts is the five-man drafting committee presenting their work to the Congress. Trumbull's painting can also be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill.
In June 1776, a committee consisting of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut (the "Committee of Five"), was formed to draft a suitable declaration to frame this resolution. The committee decided that Jefferson would write the draft, which he showed to Franklin and Adams. Franklin himself made at least 48 corrections. Jefferson then produced another copy incorporating these changes, and the committee presented this copy to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776.
- ..that Virginia politician Charles F. Mercer switched between five different political parties during his 22-year service in the United States Congress?
- ...that Wyndham Robertson, a Virginia politician who was a member of the Committee of Nine that helped Virginia be re-admitted to the Union after the American Civil War, was a descendant of Pocahontas?
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| “ | What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. | ” |
| Flower | Dogwood | 
|
|---|---|---|
| Motto | Sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants) | |
| Nicknames | Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents | |
| Dance | Virginia Reel | |
| Bird | Cardinal | |
| Fish | Brook trout |
- Capital: Richmond, Virginia
- Governor: Tim Kaine (D)
- Lieutenant Governor: Bill Bolling (R)
- Attorney General: Bob McDonnell (R)
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Katherine Hanley (D)
- Treasurer: J. Braxton Powell (D)
- Total area: 110,862 sq.mi
- Highest elevation: 5,729 ft (Mount Rogers)
- Senators: John Warner (R), George Allen (R)
- Representatives: Jo Ann Davis (R-1st), Thelma Drake (R-2nd), Robert C. Scott (D-3rd), Randy Forbes (R-4th), Virgil Goode (I-5th), Bob Goodlatte (R-6th), Eric Cantor (R-7th), James Moran (D-8th), Rick Boucher (D-9th), Frank Wolf (R-10th), Thomas M. Davis (R-11th)
Virginia - Culture • Education • History • Buildings and structures • Landmarks • Registered Historic Places • Politics • Government • Law • Associations • Companies • Hospitals • Libraries • People • Transportation • Ships • Sports
Geography - Census-designated places • Cities • Communities • Counties • Towns • Villages • Unincorporated communities • Natural history
