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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
Virginia has had three capitals since the English settlers first organized the colony's government. The first capital was located at Jamestown until 1699, when the House of Burgesses passed a resolution moving it to Williamsburg. In 1779, the General Assembly voted to move the capital again, from Williamsburg to Richmond at the suggestion of Governor Thomas Jefferson. At that time Richmond was a small town of about 600 residents, but the new seat of government was a more convenient location for Virginians who lived further west, it was on a navigable waterway, and it was also protected from the patrolling British warships that had ravaged Norfolk early in the American Revolution and continued to prey on coastal cities in the South.
In April 1780, the books, documents, furniture, and other items needed to operate the government were shipped up the James River to Richmond, and in May the legislators met in their new capital city. Although it is not certain where the first meetings were held, it is believed that the House of Delegates met in a tobacco warehouse confiscated from a loyalist while the Senate met in a nearby building. It was not until 1788 that the General Assembly began meeting in the capitol building that was designed by Thomas Jefferson.
Patriots learned, however, that the city was not quite as defensible as they had thought. In January 1781, General Benedict Arnold attacked Richmond with a British force of close to 2,000 soldiers, including German mercenaries known as Hessians. The local militia, numbering about 200, attempted to block the invading British forces but were overpowered quickly. The Queen’s Rangers destroyed two powder mills, cannons, and 700 pounds of gunpowder, set fire to public buildings, and destroyed some government records. The legislators and Jefferson, who was governor at that time, were forced to flee to Charlottesville and Staunton, and the British remained in Richmond for several months without a fight.
Richmond remains the capital of Virginia today, and the legislature still meets in Jefferson's building. This document is the resolution approved by the General Assembly to move the capital to Richmond (the pdf file includes all five pages of the act).
In April 1780, the books, documents, furniture, and other items needed to operate the government were shipped up the James River to Richmond, and in May the legislators met in their new capital city. Although it is not certain where the first meetings were held, it is believed that the House of Delegates met in a tobacco warehouse confiscated from a loyalist while the Senate met in a nearby building. It was not until 1788 that the General Assembly began meeting in the capitol building that was designed by Thomas Jefferson.
Patriots learned, however, that the city was not quite as defensible as they had thought. In January 1781, General Benedict Arnold attacked Richmond with a British force of close to 2,000 soldiers, including German mercenaries known as Hessians. The local militia, numbering about 200, attempted to block the invading British forces but were overpowered quickly. The Queen’s Rangers destroyed two powder mills, cannons, and 700 pounds of gunpowder, set fire to public buildings, and destroyed some government records. The legislators and Jefferson, who was governor at that time, were forced to flee to Charlottesville and Staunton, and the British remained in Richmond for several months without a fight.
Richmond remains the capital of Virginia today, and the legislature still meets in Jefferson's building. This document is the resolution approved by the General Assembly to move the capital to Richmond (the pdf file includes all five pages of the act).
Citation: William Waller Hening, ed., The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia from the First Session of the Legislature in the Year 1619 (Richmond: Franklin Press, 1822), 10:85–89.
Standards
VS.5, US1.6, WG.5, VUS.5
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Analyze: Look through the first paragraphs of the document. Find the explanations for moving the capital. What are they? Why would they have been important in 1779?
Post-Activities
Dig Deeper: Look at the attached map showing the population of Virginia in 1790. Where was the population moving? Do you think Richmond was a central point in the commonwealth, as the legislature argued? Why or why not? If you were a legislator, what area might you have proposed for the new capital, and why?
Map It: Locate Williamsburg and Richmond on a modern map. What is the distance between them? How would you travel between the cities today? In 1780 what would be the most efficient way to travel from Williamsburg to Richmond?
Artistic Expression: Read the description on the second page about the Capitol and the grounds appropirated for the public government buildings and draw a diagram of what you think the original capitol square may have looked like. Where would you locate the courts and other accessory buildings? Look at the Capitol District map here. How similar is your drawing to this? How similar is the drawing to the original description laid out by the legislators?
Analyze: Look through the first paragraphs of the document. Find the explanations for moving the capital. What are they? Why would they have been important in 1779?
Post-Activities
Dig Deeper: Look at the attached map showing the population of Virginia in 1790. Where was the population moving? Do you think Richmond was a central point in the commonwealth, as the legislature argued? Why or why not? If you were a legislator, what area might you have proposed for the new capital, and why?
Map It: Locate Williamsburg and Richmond on a modern map. What is the distance between them? How would you travel between the cities today? In 1780 what would be the most efficient way to travel from Williamsburg to Richmond?
Artistic Expression: Read the description on the second page about the Capitol and the grounds appropirated for the public government buildings and draw a diagram of what you think the original capitol square may have looked like. Where would you locate the courts and other accessory buildings? Look at the Capitol District map here. How similar is your drawing to this? How similar is the drawing to the original description laid out by the legislators?