Virginia Colony facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colony of Virginia
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| 1606–1776 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
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Motto:
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| Status | Colony of the British Empire in Eastern North America | ||||||||
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| Common languages | English, Siouan languages, Iroquoian languages, Algonquian languages | ||||||||
| Religion | Church of England (Anglicanism) | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||
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• 1606
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Edward Wingfield (first) | ||||||||
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• 1776
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Lord Dunmore (last) | ||||||||
| Legislature | House of Burgesses (1619–1776) | ||||||||
| Historical era | European colonisation of the Americas | ||||||||
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• Founding
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April 10, 1606 | ||||||||
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• Became Royal Colony
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1624 | ||||||||
| July 4, 1776 | |||||||||
| Currency | Virginia pound (1624-1793) | ||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||
The Colony of Virginia was the first successful English colony in North America. It was started in 1606 and settled in 1607. This happened after earlier attempts to build colonies failed. These included tries in Newfoundland in 1583 by Sir Humphrey Gilbert and the Roanoke Colony in the late 1580s by Sir Walter Raleigh.
The Virginia Company founded the new colony. They built the first two settlements in 1607. These were Jamestown on the James River and Popham Colony in what is now Maine. The Popham colony quickly failed because of hunger, sickness, and fights with local Native American tribes. Jamestown was also close to failing. But new settlers and supplies arrived in 1610, saving it. Tobacco then became Virginia's first profitable export.
In 1624, King James I took back the Virginia Company's special permission to run the colony. This made Virginia a crown colony, meaning it was directly controlled by the King. After the English Civil War in the 1640s and 1650s, King Charles II nicknamed Virginia "The Old Dominion." He did this because he saw Virginia as loyal to the English monarchy.
From 1619 to 1775/1776, Virginia was governed by the General Assembly. This group worked with a colonial governor. Jamestown was the capital until 1699. After that, the capital moved to Williamsburg until the colony ended.
Virginia declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1775. This was before the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted. The Virginia colony then became the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was one of the original thirteen states of the United States. Its official slogan became "The Old Dominion." Many modern states were later created from the land Virginia claimed. These include all of West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Parts of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania also came from Virginia's original territory.
How Virginia Got Its Name
In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh sent explorers to what is now the North Carolina coast. They heard about a local leader named Wingina. His land was supposedly called Wingandacoa.
Sir Walter Raleigh may have suggested the name "Virginia" for this region. He named it after Queen Elizabeth I, who was also called 'the Virgin Queen'. This happened around 1584. The word Wingandacoa might also have influenced the name "Virginia." On a later trip, Raleigh learned that wingandacoa actually meant "What good clothes you wear!" in the Carolina Algonquian language. It was not the name of the country, as they first thought.
"Virginia" originally referred to a huge area. It covered the entire eastern coast of North America. This stretched from Cape Fear in the south all the way north to Acadia in Canada.
The colony was also known by other names. These included the Virginia Colony, the Province of Virginia, and sometimes the Dominion and Colony of Virginia.
Images for kids
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Map depicting the Colony of Virginia (according to the Second Charter). Made by Willem Blaeu between 1609 and 1638.
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The 1609 charter for the Virginia colony "from sea to sea"
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Lines show legal treaty frontiers between Virginia Colony and Indian Nations in various years, as well as today's state boundaries. Red: Treaty of 1646. Green: Treaty of Albany (1684). Blue: Treaty of Albany (1722). Orange: Proclamation of 1763. Black: Treaty of Camp Charlotte (1774). Area west of this line in present-day Southwest Virginia was ceded by the Cherokee in 1775.
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Map of Iroquois expansion during Beaver Wars 1638-1711.
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Bermuda Hundred and other early English settlements upriver of Jamestown
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Hanover County Courthouse (c. 1735–1742), with its arcaded front, is typical of a numerous colonial courthouse built in Virginia.
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Rear view of the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary, begun in 1695
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See also
In Spanish: Colonia de Virginia para niños
