Historical, Patriotic & Genealogical Links
- written and adopted on November 11, 1620 by our neighbors to the north in the Plymouth Colony. This document set the precedence for self rule in the English colonies. It established the principle of electing the governing body for determining the colony governance, rather than the appointment of government officials by those in London. Although this event occurred in a colony other than Virginia, it became part of the basis for our movement toward independence in Virginia and the colonies in general.
Signing of the Mayflower Compact aboard the ship
Mayflower, at anchor at what is now Provincetown
near Cape Cod, November 11, 1620.
- adopted by our North Carolina neighbors to the south on April 12, 1776. This document preceded the American Declaration of Independence adoption in Philadelphia by a little less than three months. This document, along with the Virginia Declaration of Rights, signifies how many of the colonists felt toward England & their coming independence from her. The lower date on the North Carolina flag is that of the Halifax Resolves.
- written by George Washington and George Mason on July 17, 1774, at Mount Vernon and adopted on July 18, 1774, by a Fairfax County convention chaired by George Washington. Also, see full text located at Gunston Hall site.
Excerpt from NARA website. - written by George Mason and adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention on June 12, 1776. This document was the source of the preamble to the American Declaration of Independence authored by fellow Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, soon afterwards. It was also the foundation for the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution.
- written by Virginian Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the 2nd Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The actual signing did not take place until August 2, 1776.
The initial proposal to the 2nd Continental Congress, on June 7th, for declaring independence from Great Britain was made by Virginia Delegate Richard Henry Lee.
Virginia, & 12 other colonies, (half of all 26 British colonies in America) were officially and individually granted independence from Great Britain with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783 and its subsequent ratification by Great Britain on 9 April 1784.
Virginia became a free, independent, & sovereign state!
Signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
Although Trumbull's painting is referred to as above, it is actually a portrayal
of red-haired Virginian Thomas Jefferson, & his committee of five,
presenting their draft of the document on June 28, 1776.
Signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.
Ratified in 1788 by 11 of the 13 states. Ratification by the last two states, North Carolina
& Rhode Island, occurred on November 21, 1789 (NC) and on May 29, 1790 (RI).
The Constitutional Convention was presided over by Virginian George Washington.
- Virginia remained a free, independent, and sovereign state for four years (from 9 Apr 1784 until 25 Jun 1788). Upon her ratification of the U. S. Constitution, Virginia became one of 13 states in the United States of America!
Under the previous Articles of Confederation, each state was a sovereign and independent state only bound together as a confederation for mutual protection.
For more information on this, see the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.
- written by Judge Edward F. Butler, Sr. (President General of NSSAR 2009-2010).
- the first 10 amendments to the Constitution comprise the Bill of Rights. However, in 1789 when Congress approved these amendments, there were actually 12 that were approved. The 1st & 2nd Congressionally approved amendments were not ratified by the required number of the states at the time. So, the 3rd thru the 12th became the Bill of Rights -- the first 10 Amendments approved & ratified, as required. One of those two original unratified amendments (the 2nd one proposed in 1789) that did not become part of the Bill of Rights was eventually ratified on May 7, 1992 and became the 27th Amendment (the last to-date).
Today, when Congress approves an amendment, they usually include an expiration date for ratification. That was not done in 1789.
There is still one more of those 12 originally approved amendments that could possibly be ratified by the states -- someday. That last remaining amendment, often referred to as "Article the First" (since it was the first amendment proposed), has to do with the number of constituents represented by each Representative in the House of Representatives.
The amendments comprising the Bill of Rights were drafted by Virginian James Madison, based heavily on the previous Virginia Declaration of Rights written by fellow Virginian George Mason.
Webmaster's Note: The ratification of that last unratified amendment could possibly change the balance of power in the House of Representatives. Intriguing, eh?
For more information on this proposed & unratified amendment, click here.
- Birthplace of Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, only two brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. And later, home of Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, famous cavalry leader during the Revolutionary War and father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee (also born here in 1807). "Light Horse Harry" Lee is the one who eulogized George Washington with saying he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
- This controversial figure played a prominent role in the Carolina & Virginia Campaigns of the Revolutionary War. He has often been portrayed as an arch villain in the war. This site may be of interest to those that are willing to see this man in a different light. There may be more than our popular history says about him.
This is particularly appropriate in light of the recent movie, The Patriot, in which Tarleton is used as the model for the villain Colonel William Tavington.
- A few years ago, the Virginia General Assembly conducted a cost study for maintaining the burial sites of Revolutionary War patriots in Virginia. The study does not identify all of the RevWar patriots buried in the state, but it does identify 2,217 patriots, both American & French, and where they are buried. What's more, the report is online and can be downloaded in a variety of formats.
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