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Context
The last of Virginia's Revolutionary Conventions met from early May through July 5, 1776, to establish a new government for the independent Commonwealth of Virginia. In this session, the delegates unanimously passed the Virginia Declaration of Rights on June 12 and also wrote a new constitution that they adoped on June 29. This constitution created a three-branch government, with a bicameral legislature, a weak executive position, and a judiciary branch. Voting was limited to adult white men who owned land.
The government established by the convention delegates reflected their concern about centralized authority. In the General Assembly, bills could only originate in the House of Delegates, and the legislature elected all state officials, including the governor. The governor had no veto power and served only a one-year term, with a limit of three consecutive terms. Before taking action, the governor was required to consult with a Council of State whose members the assembly also elected. The judiciary was not defined clearly in the constitution, beyond the fact that the legislature would create one. Local governments retained the right to establish and run their courts and to nominate all of their own officials, who were generally approved by the governor.
A section of the constitution featured a series of grievances Virginains had against the king to justify dissolving the colonial government. These included Britain’s interference with colonial legislatures, maintenance of standing armies in peacetime, assertion of military power over the civil government, and conducting unfair trials. The document also accused Britain of taxation without representation. A few of the grievances reflected the actions of Virginia’s colonial governor Lord Dunmore. The document accused Britain of inciting enslaved and Indigenous people to rise up against white colonists and of “ravaging our coasts” and “burning our towns.” Although the patriot troops were largely responsible for the burning of Norfolk after British forces shelled the city in January 1776, many blamed the British for the conflagration.
Virginia declared its independence from Great Britain just days before the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Virginia's constitution and Declaration of Rights foreshadowed the structure of the United States government as set up by the U.S. Constitution as well as the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. Virginia stood at the forefront of American statecraft.
This document is a clerk’s handwritten copy of the Virginia Constitution that contains corrections and was later enrolled in the publications of the legislature. View the entire document in the accompanying pdf or in the Library's online catalog.
Citation: Constitution of the state of Virginia, June 24, 1776, Virginia Convention of 1776, Accession 30003, Record Group 89, State Government Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
Related Document Bank entries:
Lord Dunmore's Proclamation, 1775
The Virginia Declaration of Rights (George Mason's Draft)
Declaration of Independence, 1776
Watch an 8-minute video by Library of Virginia historian Brent Tarter about Virginia's Constitutions.
Learn more about Virginia's role in the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution in Shaping the Constitution.
The government established by the convention delegates reflected their concern about centralized authority. In the General Assembly, bills could only originate in the House of Delegates, and the legislature elected all state officials, including the governor. The governor had no veto power and served only a one-year term, with a limit of three consecutive terms. Before taking action, the governor was required to consult with a Council of State whose members the assembly also elected. The judiciary was not defined clearly in the constitution, beyond the fact that the legislature would create one. Local governments retained the right to establish and run their courts and to nominate all of their own officials, who were generally approved by the governor.
A section of the constitution featured a series of grievances Virginains had against the king to justify dissolving the colonial government. These included Britain’s interference with colonial legislatures, maintenance of standing armies in peacetime, assertion of military power over the civil government, and conducting unfair trials. The document also accused Britain of taxation without representation. A few of the grievances reflected the actions of Virginia’s colonial governor Lord Dunmore. The document accused Britain of inciting enslaved and Indigenous people to rise up against white colonists and of “ravaging our coasts” and “burning our towns.” Although the patriot troops were largely responsible for the burning of Norfolk after British forces shelled the city in January 1776, many blamed the British for the conflagration.
Virginia declared its independence from Great Britain just days before the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Virginia's constitution and Declaration of Rights foreshadowed the structure of the United States government as set up by the U.S. Constitution as well as the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. Virginia stood at the forefront of American statecraft.
This document is a clerk’s handwritten copy of the Virginia Constitution that contains corrections and was later enrolled in the publications of the legislature. View the entire document in the accompanying pdf or in the Library's online catalog.
Citation: Constitution of the state of Virginia, June 24, 1776, Virginia Convention of 1776, Accession 30003, Record Group 89, State Government Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
Related Document Bank entries:
Lord Dunmore's Proclamation, 1775
The Virginia Declaration of Rights (George Mason's Draft)
Declaration of Independence, 1776
Watch an 8-minute video by Library of Virginia historian Brent Tarter about Virginia's Constitutions.
Learn more about Virginia's role in the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution in Shaping the Constitution.
Standards
VS.6, USI.6, VUS4, CE2, GOVT.2
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Scan It: Scan the list of grievances in the transcription. Which ones stand out to you, and why?
Post-Activities
Be the Journalist: Imagine you are a reporter for the Virginia Gazette in 1776. What three questions would you ask the convention delegates about the new Virginia Constitution? Why?
Dig Deeper: Read the list of grievances in the Declaration of Independence entry in Document Bank. Compare it to the list of grievances in the Virginia Constitution. How is it similar? Where do you see differences, and why?
Virginia Validation: There are a few significant points in the Virginia list of grievances that differ from the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. Find the ones that are specific to Virginia. Why do you think the Virginia convention delegates included these? What does it tell you about the commonwealth?
Scan It: Scan the list of grievances in the transcription. Which ones stand out to you, and why?
Post-Activities
Be the Journalist: Imagine you are a reporter for the Virginia Gazette in 1776. What three questions would you ask the convention delegates about the new Virginia Constitution? Why?
Dig Deeper: Read the list of grievances in the Declaration of Independence entry in Document Bank. Compare it to the list of grievances in the Virginia Constitution. How is it similar? Where do you see differences, and why?
Virginia Validation: There are a few significant points in the Virginia list of grievances that differ from the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. Find the ones that are specific to Virginia. Why do you think the Virginia convention delegates included these? What does it tell you about the commonwealth?