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Monument Listing Names of the Members of the First General Assembly

CONTENT WARNING

Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation. 

Context

The first representative assembly in English North America met in the church at Jamestown on July 30, 1619.  Following instructions from the Virginia Company of London, the governor was empowered to call a general assembly to handle public matters that emerged in the colony. In 1619, the General Assembly was composed of the governor, six councilors, and twenty-two burgesses who represented eleven settlements. Exactly how the burgesses were chosen is not known.

At the first assembly, members proposed amendments to the charter, passed laws on issues related to tobacco prices and relations with Indigenous Virginians, and adjudicated several criminal cases. The assembly was meant to provide the English settlers with a way to bear responsibility for decisions that affected them on a daily basis and to respond to emergency situations. It was not anticipated that the General Assembly would grow into a representative legislature that influenced the political culture of Virginia and the future United States.

Since its inception, Virginia's General Assembly has continued to meet regularly to debate and legislate. At first the assembly was unicameral, meaning that all members met together as a single body. In 1643, the burgesses began meeting separately from the governor and the members of his council and has remained bicameral since that time. The Virginia Constitution of 1776 created two houses of the assembly: the House of Delegates and the State Senate. Terms and numbers for both groups differ, and today the Senate is comprised of 40 senators who serve four-year terms while the House of Delegates has 100 members who serve two-year terms.

The significance of the work of the men who met at Jamestown in 1619 was memorialized with an obelisk monument that was unveiled during the 300th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement and was a gift of the Norfolk branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now Preservation Virginia). This photograph of the monument was part of a collection of albums prepared by the state Chamber of Commerce for display in the Virginia Room at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.

Citation: Monument Listing Names of the Members of the First Legislative Assembly in America, 1939 World's Fair Photograph Collection, Visual Studies Collection, Library of Virginia.

 

Standards

VS.1, VS.3, VS.10, USI.1, USI.5

Suggested Questions

Preview Activity

Artistic Exploration: If you were hired to redesign this monument, how would you design it differently? Why?

Post Activities

Current Connection: Given the current debate over monuments, do you feel that a monument to the first General Assembly is necessary? Explain.

State Your Case: If you were to testify on a bill or amendment currently at the General Assembly, what types of arguments would you use to make your case? Can you think of any current or recent bills or amendments that you could speak about?