History of Virginia State Posted by party bus Portland
Party bus Portland wants to guide the people.
The Commonwealth of Virginia or "Old Dominion" is the tenth state to
join the union on June 25, 1788. It is part of the group of South Atlantic
states, washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, neighbors are: in the south -
North Carolina and Tennessee, in the north west - West Virginia, northeast -
Maryland, west - Kentucky. With a total area of 110,785.67 sq. km, the state
ranks 35th in the country in size. About 60% of the state's territory is
covered with forests, and the eastern part is heavily swampy. Along the
southeastern edge of the Appalachians there is a chain of mountain ranges - the
Blue Ridge. Blue Ridge and Chesapeake Bay are the two most important geographic
features of the state. The largest and most significant rivers usually include
the Roanoke, Shenandoah, Potomac, and Rappahannock.
Home to more than 8 million people, Virginia is the twelfth most
populated state. The capital is Richmond and the most populous city is Virginia
Beach , founded in 1888. Virginia Beach, as you might guess by the name, is
famous for its beaches and resorts, and even holds a place of honor in the
Guinness Book of Records as the city with the longest public beach. In
addition, three US military bases have settled in the city. Another major city
is Norfolk, a port city founded in 1682 on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
During the war of 1775-1783, the headquarters of the governor of Great Britain
was located here, and now the city is the location of the US naval base -
Norfolk. City of Newport News famous for its shipbuilding: a large part of the
American nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers were built here. Other major
cities include Chesapeake and Arlington.
The history of the Commonwealth of Virginia often dates back to
the founding of Jamestown in 1607, which became the first permanent English
settlement in the New World. Initially, it was Jamestown that was the capital
of the colony, and only in 1780 it was moved to Richmond. The Virginia General
Assembly, founded on July 30, 1619, is today recognized as the oldest
legislative body in the Western Hemisphere. Colonization of North America took
place from the end of the 16th century by the British, and the state got its
name in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, who never married. The London Virginia
Company and numerous English settlements were established on the territory.
This painting by American artists Sidney King and Keith Rocco
depicts the landing of the colonists, 1607.
During the American Revolution, Virginia witnessed the final
surrender of British forces at Yorktown, and later became known as the
birthplace of many revolutionary leaders and future American presidents,
including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Eight US presidents (besides
the ones mentioned above - James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Garrison,
John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Woodrow Wilson) were native to Virginia, more than
from any other state. No wonder Virginia is often called the “mother of
presidents”.
During the Civil War in 1861, Virginia became part of the Confederation.
Later, in 1863, the western part, West Virginia, was separated. Virginia became
the main site of the battle: it was here that the battles of Frederiksberg,
Bull-Ran, Petersburg and others took place. And it was here that on April 9,
1865, General Robert Lee signed the act of surrender. During the
reconstruction, in 1870, Virginia was again officially admitted to the United
States.
The current structure of the Virginia government is almost
identical in structure to the federal government and is divided into three
branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The Virginia General Assembly
consists of 100 members of the House of Representatives and 40 members of the
Senate. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected every four years.
Governors cannot be elected or serve consecutive terms. The Virginia judicial
system consists of the Virginia Supreme Court and the Virginia Court of
Appeals, district courts, and lower district courts (juvenile and others).
Virginia has 13 electoral votes in the presidential election, and has 11 seats
in the US House of Representatives. The Governor of the state is the
representative of the Republican Party, Robert McDonnell.
The 1776 Virginia seal with the motto " Sic simper tyrannies
" refers to the declaration of independence from the Kingdom of Great
Britain. The depicted on the seal is Virtues - a female figure, a symbol of
Roman virtue, the genius of the Commonwealth, she rests on a spear in her right
hand. Under her left leg lies a male figure - a symbol of the tyranny and
defeat of Great Britain in the fight against the Commonwealth of Virginia. The
Commonwealth flag has a seal in the middle on a blue background and was first
used in 1861.
The state's economy is diverse, but the public sector is the leading
source of income for the state's residents. A large place is given to the
tobacco, rubber, food, chemical and engineering industries. About 30% of the
territory is allocated to farms where the main crops are grown: soybeans,
cotton, tomatoes, nuts, potatoes, corn, etc. Cattle and sheep are raised,
fishing is also well developed.
According to the indications of 2010, the state's GDP was 424
billion dollars. It should be noted that since the end of the 20th century, the
high-tech sector has been actively developing in the state. Forbes magazine
named Virginia the most business-friendly US state in 2009.
The Commonwealth is also home to several high-profile public and
private colleges and universities. There are 176 of them in the staff; a
special place is occupied by:
University of Virginia: founded in 1819; the campus designed by
Thomas Jefferson is now a UNESCO Heritage Site;
College of William and Mary : founded in 1693, ranked fourth among
the best universities in the United States in 2009 according to Forbes
magazine. The future presidents of the United States studied here - the already
mentioned Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler; the same college
graduated from such famous personalities as the future Secretary of Defense
Robert Gates, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under Barrack
Obama Christina Roomer, David Brown - NASA astronaut;
·
Virginia Polytechnic
Institute (1872) ;
·
Virginia Commonwealth
University (1838) ;
·
Virginia Military Institute
(1839) : Alumni include George Marshall, five-star general, Nobel Peace Prize
laureate.
·
At the University of
Washington and Lee (1749) and others.
Virginia is the "cradle" of not only presidents, but
also other famous people: George Mason , one of the "founding
fathers", author of the Declaration of Human Rights, participant in the
drafting of the US Constitution, Patrick Henry - the first governor of
Virginia, Pocahontas - Indian princess Matoaka, daughter a leader who united 25
tribes; Pocahontas's marriage to an English tobacco planter was the beginning
of many famous noble families of Virginia, John Smith - the national hero of
America, sailor, one of the founders of Jamestown, William Styron - the 1968
Pulitzer Prize laureate, writer, Booker Taliafer Washington - politician,
writer, fighter for the enlightenment American blacks,Laurence Weidler - the
first African American governor from 1990-1994.
Virginia is famous for its attractions: the Museum and the Washington D.C. Mount Vernon estate, the Thomas Jefferson-Monticello estate, the Virginia Science Museum, the National Historical Reserve, on the site of which there was the first English settlement and the first capital, the Arlingston National Cemetery, the Marine Corps memorial. Virginia is home to the Pentagon, the US Department of Defense. Party bus Portland click it for read more.
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