Browse Items (29 total)

The Federalist (the Federalist Papers as they were later known) were published in New York State newspapers between October 1787 and May 1788. The Federalist would be reprinted in other states, including Virginia. The Federalist is composed of 85…

This act from the General Assembly granted William Pennock a government contract for a transportation company. Having a reliable way to transport people and goods across the state is important for a healthy economy. By granting this contract, the…

In 1790 the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, led by Benjamin Franklin, submitted a plea to Congress to end slavery. Congress considered the petition and formed a committee for further examination. They debated what was and was not within their…

This watercolor painting by Benjamin Henry Latrobe depicts three Black men directing a bateau, a long flat-bottomed boat, through the rapids of the James River at Richmond. The boats were used to carry goods such as tobacco and coal along rivers and…

Jenny Parker was a former enslaved person emancipated by Josiah Wilson in Surry County in 1813. She petitioned for special permission to remain in the state. The petition includes a certificate of conduct. In 1806 the General Assembly placed…

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell near Charlottesville, Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary where he studied to be a lawyer and later practiced law in Albemarle County, Virginia. He would go on to become am…

The artist and teacher who painted this portrait of James Madison was William L. Sheppard. Sheppard based this 1901 portrait after Thomas Sully’s famous 1809 portrait of Madison. Sheppard’s portrait was painted from what is called a "Southern…

The painting entitled “Adoption of the Virginia Declaration of Rights” was produced in 1974 by Jack Clifton. Clifton was commissioned by the Jamestown- Yorktown Foundation to paint a depiction of the first legislative assembly at Jamestown and was…

After the Constitution was written, nine states were needed to ratify it before it became law. George Mason, who was the author of Virginia Declaration of Rights, wanted the Constitution to include guarantees for fundamental liberties which reflected…

When the first English settlers arrived in 1607, the Church of England served as the official state church of the Virginia Colony. Under the 1689 English Act of Toleration, Protestants who were not members of the Church of England were still required…