1619 A Vital Year in the History of Virginia — and America
For 13 years, until the arrival of the English Separatists known as the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in what is now in Massachusetts in 1620, Virginia was British America. Yet, while almost every child has heard of the Mayflower that brought the Pilgrims, very few Americans can name any of the three ships that carried the 105 English settlers to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. (They were the Discovery, Godspeed, and Susan Constant.)
Yet, the centrality of Virginia in American history is profound. The first cash crop of English America (tobacco) was developed there. A Virginian, George Washington, was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Another Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. James Madison, yet another Virginian, made such extensive contributions to the Constitution that he rightly deserves the title of “father of the Constitution.”
Four of the first five presidents of the United States were from Virginia.
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