History Of Richmond, Virginia

capitol from Church Hill, 1862.]]
The History of ''' Richmond, Virginia ''' as a modern city dates back to the early seventeenth century, and crucial to the development of the colony of Virginia , the United States Revolutionary War , and the Civil War . After Reconstruction , Richmond's location helped it develop a diversified economy and as a land transportation hub. Richmond attracted businesses relocating from other parts of the country as one of the northernmost cities of the Right-to-work states.

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

In 1607 , King James I granted a Royal Charter to the Virginia Company Of London to settle colonists in North America . After the first permanent English settlement was established later that year at Jamestown , Captain Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith set sail ten days after landing at Jamestown, traveling northwest up Powhatan's River (now known as the James River ) to Powhatan Hill. The first expedition consisted of 120 men from Jamestown, and made the first attempt to settle at the Falls of the James, located between the 14th Street Bridge in modern downtown Richmond and the Pony Pasture (a recreational area along the banks of the river south of the City of Richmond). The settlement was made at this location as it is the highest navigable site along the James River.

In 1611 , Sir Thomas Dale , the new Governor of the Jamestown Colony, organized an expedition and established a settlement below the falls called " Henricus ." The first Hospital in North America was built here and was home to Pocahontas .

In 1622 , during the Powhatan Uprising, widespread Native American attacks wiped out every English settlement except Jamestown. Two years later, King James revoked the Virginia Company of London’s charter and declared Virginia a royal colony. By 1634 , Henrico County (consisting of present-day Henrico, Charles City , Powhatan , Chesterfield and Goochland ) was created. A Native American treaty signed in 1646 ceded all territory below the Falls of the James to the English. Nathaniel Bacon led “Bacon’s Rebellion,” in 1676 , which was a historical revolt against the Native Americans following Sir William Berkeley ’s failure to defend the frontier against indian attacks.

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

By the early eighteenth century, the population of the area was still below 200. In 1730 , the Virginia House Of Burgesses passed the Warehouse Act, which required inspectors to grade tobacco at 40 different locations. This led to much development at the Falls of the James. Seven years later, in 1737 , William Mayo laid out the original street plan for the town of Richmond, on land provided by Colonel William Byrd II of nearby Westover Plantation . The name came from Richmond-upon-Thames , England .

In 1741 , St. John’s Church was built in the present day neighborhood of Church Hill, the oldest neighborhood in the city, overlooking downtown Richmond, Shockoe Bottom and Shockoe Slip. Richmond was chartered as a town in 1742 .

Shockoe Bottom was a center for slave trading. It is believed that between 1800 -1865, 300,000 slaves were sent from Shockoe Bottom to work in the deep south. Shockoe Bottom also serves as the burial ground for thousands of Africans.

By 1768, William Byrd III had squandered the family fortune and resorted to a public lottery to raise money for his debts. He auctioned off large Lot s of still-undeveloped Byrd family land in the Richmond region.

Revolutionary War

In 1775 , Patrick Henry delivered his famous “ Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death ” speech in St. John's Church, during the Second Virginia Convention. This speech is credited with convincing members of the House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering Virginia troops to the American Revolutionary War . One year later, in the throes of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration Of Independence .

In 1780 , Virginia’s state capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond. In 1781 , under the command of Benedict Arnold , Richmond was burned by British troops. Yet Richmond shortly recovered, and, in May 1782 , was incorporated as a city.

In 1785 , the James River Company was formed with George Washington as its honorary president. Development of the James River and the Kanawha Canal , designed by Washington, ensued. The cornerstone of the Virginia State Capitol , designed by Thomas Jefferson , was also laid this year. These events led to further development of the economy of the city. The first Bridge across the
James River, named Mayo’s Bridge after the founder of the city, was built in 1787 .

The Virginia Statute For Religious Freedom , written in 1779 by Thomas Jefferson, was passed in Richmond on January 16 , 1786 , and the first Freemasonry in America was constructed on Franklin Street between 18th and 19th Streets in downtown Richmond. The Bill of Rights was instated in the Constitution one year later, in 1787 .

NINETEENTH CENTURY

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History Of Richmond, Virginia