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How did the past affect Virginia? - Virginia's History

Home » Virginia » Virginia Overview and History » How did the past affect Virginia? - Virginia's History

Virginia’s history begins with its first known inhabitants – the Native Americans. Before the English colonization of Virginia, Cherokee, Chickahominey, Mattaponi, Meherrin, Monacan, Nansemond, Nottaway, Pamunkey, Pohick, Powhatan, Rappahannock, Saponi, and Tuscarora people all lived in Virginia. At the end of the 1500’s, Queen Elizabeth – the Virgin Queen – gave Virginia its name when England began to colonize the land. First settled in Jamestown, the Virginia colony existed from 1607 when it was established by Captains Christopher Newport and John Smith until 1776 when the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from England.

By 1780, Richmond became the capital of Virginia – a move primarily made to keep the capital from being vulnerable to British attack. The well-known Patrick Henry was Virginia’s first governor and helped lead the state to freedom from the British, which occurred on October 19, 1781. The Virginia Declaration of Rights created during this time not only helped Virginia establish itself and build a state constitution; it also influenced the United States Bill of Rights.

During the later United States Civil War, Virginia was part of the confederacy, and Virginia soil was the ground on which more battles were fought than in any other place in America during that War. After the war, Virginia officially rejoined the Union on January 26, 1870. Since that time, Virginia has continued to move on the forefront of state and national efforts toward maintaining our freedom and quality of life, such as when Douglas Wilder was elected the Governor of Virginia in 1990 – the first African-American every to govern a US State since the Reconstruction.

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