- Virginia Conventions
The Virginia Conventions were a series of five political meetings in the
Colony of Virginia during theAmerican Revolution . Because theHouse of Burgesses had been dissolved in 1774 by Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, the conventions served as a revolutionaryprovisional government until the establishment of the independent Commonwealth of Virginia in 1776.The first convention was organized after Lord Dunmore dissolved the House of Burgesses when that body called for a day of prayer as a show of solidarity with
Boston, Massachusetts , following theBoston Port Act . The Burgesses moved toRaleigh Tavern to continue meeting. The Burgesses declared support for Massachusetts and called for a congress of all the colonies, theContinental Congress . The Burgesses, operating as the first convention, onAugust 1 ,1774 , met and elected representatives to the Virginia convention, banned commerce and payment of debts with Britain, and pledged supplies and support to Boston.The second convention opened in Richmond and met at St. John's Church on
March 20 ,1775 . At the convention,Patrick Henry proposed arming the Virginia militia and delivered his "give me liberty or give me death" speech to rally support for the measure.The third convention met in July 1775 after Dunmore had fled the capital and taken refuge on a British warship. The convention created a Committee of Safety to take over governance in the absence of Dunmore. The convention also divided Virginia into 16 military districts and resolved to raise regular regiments.
The fourth convention denounced Dunmore and declared that Virginians were ready to defend themselves "against every species of despotism."
The fifth convention began
May 6 ,1776 and met in Williamsburg. OnMay 15 , the convention declared independence from Britain and instructed its delegates to the Continental Congress inPhiladelphia to propose independence. OnJune 7 ,Richard Henry Lee , of Virginia's delegates to Congress, carried out these instructions and proposed independence, paving the way for the Declaration of Independence. OnJune 12 , the convention adoptedGeorge Mason 's Declaration of Rights, a precursor to theUnited States Bill of Rights . OnJune 29 , the convention approved the firstConstitution of Virginia . The convention chose Patrick Henry as the first governor of the new Commonwealth of Virginia.References
* [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/VAGuide/history.html WPA Project:History of Virginia]
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