Virginia History Timeline

1. Virginia History Timeline

2. 1492 Columbus Explores Columbus wanted to prove if the world was round.He was born in 1451, and died in 1506. He made his famous voyage across the Atlantic from Spain. Columbus returned from Europe with news of the lands and people. He was trying to find riches, treasures,and jewelry. All this happened in 1492. Adrian Sethi

3. 1587 Lost Colony Sir Walter Raleigh decided to try to form a new settlement again. The captain of the ship refused to go in the Chesapeake Bay, so the colonists were put on Roanoke Island. The colonists sent John White back to England to get supplies. He could not go back to the colony for three years. When he came back the colony was abandoned. Astraea Howard

4. 1607 Jamestown Founded English men sailed from England to Virginia in three ships in the year of 1607. They picked a poor site for a colony because there was swampy land. The land was filled with a lot of mosquitoes causing there to be a disease called malaria. Many people got sick and died. It also had bad drinking water and bad soil. They weren’t getting much work done because most of the men were gentlemen, so they sent a trained solider named Captain John Smith to lead the colony. He made a rule saying, “ If you don’t work you don’t eat.” That made the English men work causing Jamestown to be successful. Alexis Finley

5. 1612 John Rolfe Plants Tobacco The Virginia Company said that the new colony needed to be making some money, John Rolfe had a new idea. He knew tobacco grew well in Virginia, and the Powhatan grew it. He thought tobacco was too harsh for European taste. He decided to grow a different kind of tobacco. The new tobacco’s name was Nicotiana. They named it after Jean Nicot. This was a very successful cash crop for Virginia. Alex Hylton

6. 1619 Red Letter Year90 Women and the First Africans arrive. The House of Burgesses was established. The first Africans came on a Dutch ship as indentured servants to help with the back breaking labor of growing tobacco. The king of England wanted the new colony to grow, so he sent a ship of 90 women to Jamestown in hope of starting families. Also, The House of Burgesses ( the first lawmaking body in North America) held its first session. Dante Piro

7. 1676 Bacon’s Rebellion Bacon wanted to attack American Indians. The governor wouldn’t let that happen so Bacon became angry with the government. He found some followers, who thought it was a fight against an unfair government, to attack. Bacon and his rebels burned Jamestown and the capital city in 1676. Soon Bacon died and the rebellion ended. Brandon Williams Edited By: Mrs. Lane

8. 1693 COLLEGE of WILLIAM and MARY It was the first college founded in Williamsburg. In honor of William the III and Mary the II. In the United States, it’s the second oldest institution of higher education behind Harvard University. The college was also called W and M or just simply The College. Callie Adkins

9. 1699 Capital is Moved from Jamestown to Williamsburg They moved the capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg. They did that because the Jamestown settlement had been burned down by some people who took something and burned it down. Williamsburg was called the Middle Plantation. By: Cassaundra Roper

10. 1754-1763 French and Indian War George Washington was sent by Robert Dinwiddie to tell the French to get off their land. Washington built Fort Necessity. Washington attacked the French and ten men died. French attacked and on July 3, 1754 Washington surrendered. The battle at Fort Necessity started the war. The war was the French and Indians against the British and some Indians. Cole Schafer

11. 1765 The Stamp Act The Stamp Act was issued by Parliament, Britain's law- making body, to pay for the French and Indian war. The Stamp Act said that newspapers and other official papers to have a stamp on it. The stamp costs money, so when you bought it you would have to pay more. The colonists thought that was outrageous. The colonist refused to buy or use British goods. David DeVilbiss

12. 1774 First Continental Congress The representatives made a plan for all the colonies to stop trade with Great Britain. The representatives drew up the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. This stated the main concerns of the colonists. The people sent it to the king. This congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Denzel Washington Edited By: Mrs. Lane

13. 1775 Patrick Henry's Famous Speech Patrick Henry was a lawyer, statesman, Revolutionary leader, and a member of the Virginia legislature. The speech said, “I know the course that others may take, but for me, give me liberty or give me death.” He said this at St. John’s church in Richmond. Many Virginians agreed with his ideas. He said the speech when people objected to the ruling by a British King. The speech convinced some delegates to prepare a militia for the Revolutionary war to be free from Great Britain. By: Hanna Martin

14. 1776 Declaration Of Independence • adopted by Congress on July 4,1776 • Influenced by Virginia Declaration Of Rights • Written by Thomas Jefferson • Stated We were free from Great Britain Heaven Thomas

15. 1781 End of the Revolutionary War British surrendered on September 28, 1781 at Yorktown by Lord Cornwallis. It happened when George Washington heard Cornwallis was in Yorktown so with the help of France he captured Cornwallis on the peninsula. Kayla Crocker

16. 1786 Virginia Statute of Religious Freedoms- Thomas Jefferson • It was a law that protected people’s freedoms to practice any religion. • It was written by Thomas Jefferson • It was passed by the General Assembly on January 16,1786 Lindsay Graham

17. 1787 United States Constitution-James Madison James Madison was called the father of the “Constitution.” His wife's name was Dolley Madison. He was against slavery. A constitution is a plan for a government. James Madison called for a legislature having two chambers, or houses. Madison’s ideas formed a big part called the Virginia Plan. This plan served as the starting point for the convention’s debates. These debates led to the creation of a new plan for the government of the United States-the Constitution. By: Luke Phillips

18. 1789 George Washington, Our First President George Washington was the only president who was unanimously elected. He ran unopposed for both terms. He has appeared on the 25 cent piece or the quarter since 1932. He died on December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Leann Linkous

19. 1801 Thomas Jefferson Elected Third President of U.S.A Thomas Jefferson was elected the Third President of the USA. Jeffersonhad introduced the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom . One of Jefferson ‘s best successes while president was the Louisiana Purchase. He sent Meriwether Lewis, William Clark to explore the land in the west. It was called the Lewis, Clark Expedition. Jefferson wanted to know about the land he was buying. Jefferson was well- known for his work with the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was president for 2 terms. Mikayla Jones Edited By: Mrs. Lane

20. 1803 The Louisiana Purchase The purchase went from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. This was one of the most important successes for President Jefferson. The sale included over 600 million acres. Rachel Carroll

21. 1804- 1806 Lewis & Clark Explore The West Lewis and Clark were sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore the western land. The explorations greatly increased the knowledge of the United States. They explored more than what was purchased in the Louisiana Purchase. Sacagawea was their Indian guide. Sarah House Edited By: Mrs. Lane

22. 1809 James Madison Elected President Madison was elected the fourth President of the United States. Served in the Continental Congress and was a leader in the Virginia Assembly. Madison was a leader in the Constitutional Convention and helped write the Bill of Rights. While president he prohibited trade with Britain and France. Nicky Coalson Edited By: Mrs. Lane

23. 1817 James Monroe-Fifth US President Monroe served 2 terms as President. He also created the Era of Good Feelings, which was a time of peace. The nation was starting to feel good about itself. James Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War, and was a part of Virginia government. He is very famous for the Monroe Doctrine, a policy warning other nations not to interfere in the affairs of countries. He agreed to purchase Florida from Spain. Seth Thomas

24. 1831 Nat Turner’s Rebellion Nat Turner led seventy-five other enslaved people in a bloody fight against plantation owners. Nat Turner and the others killed about sixty people before the army crashed the rebellion. Nat Turner was the leader of the most important slave rebellion. By: Sierra Beaver

25. 1859 John Brown’s Raid Brown was an abolitionist. He seized weapons from the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry on October 10, 1859 trying to show his opinions against slavery. This raid upset the Southerners. Later Brown was put to death for his actions in this raid. Tyler Simone Edited By: Mrs. Lane

26. 1861 Virginia Secedes From the Union/ Civil War Begins The Civil War began in Fort Sumter, South Carolina because the North didn’t want slavery and the South did. Virginian Edmund Ruffin was a Virginian that fired one of the first shots at Fort Sumter. A lot of Virginians didn’t want war. They thought that states had the right to secede from the Union, but they had really wanted to maintain their ties with the Union since they had a huge part in starting it. Eventually, they couldn’t maintain those ties and decided to secede. Alexis Finley Edited By: Mrs. Lane

27. 1863 West Virginia is Formed from 50 Western Counties of Virginia Not all Virginians wanted to separate from the Union. In Virginia 50 counties wanted to stay with the United States. West Virginia became the 35th state in the United States on June 20, 1863. Astraea Howard

28. 1865 Civil War Ends- Lee Surrenders to Grant Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Grant wrote the words for Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. This ended the Civil War.

29. 1902 Jim Crow Laws Jim Crow law were laws that separated white people and black people. The separation was called segregation. Jim Crow came from a character in a musical show making fun of black people. Virginia passed many Jim Crow laws . It created black and white restraints from water fountains, schools, parks and cemeteries. Jim Crow laws were tested in 1896. Black people who disobeyed laws were arrested or fined. Cole Schafer

30. 1903 Maggie Lena Walker- First African American Bank President Maggie Lena Walker was the first African American women to be president of a bank. She was born in July 15, 1867 in Richmond Virginia. Her parents were slaves. Their names were Elizabeth Draper Mitchell and William Mitchell. Maggie went to Lancaster School. She graduated in 1883. She married Armistead Walker, Jr. in September 1886. They had three sons one died in infancy. Kayla Crocker

31. 1913 Woodrow Wilson Elected President From 1913-1921 Woodrow Wilson was president of the U.S. Wilson was the 28 president. Wilson was from Staunton, Virginia. President Wilson’s first wife was Ellen Louise Axson. She passed away August 6,1914. He remarried December 18 1915 to Edith Bolling Galt. Rachel Carroll

32. 1975 Arthur Ashe- African American Tennis Pro • He was the first African American man to win a tennis championship. • He also was an author and spokesperson for social change • He once said, “I could never forgive myself if I elected to live without… Trying to help the poor and unfortunate, without recognizing that perhaps the purest joy in life, comes with trying to help others.” • It is important that he wanted to help others. • Lindsay Graham

33. 1989 L. Douglas Wilder Elected First African-American Governor Richmond attorney, Governor Wilder served as state senator and as Lieutenant Governor before becoming first African-American governor. He balanced state budget as a governor. He also accomplished an emergency reserve fund. January 13, 1931 Heaven Thomas