Difference between revisions of "Virginia"
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Virginia is often called the ''Mother of Presidents'' or ''Birthplace of Presidents'' because eight U.S. Presidents have been born in Virgina. Four of the first five presidents, [[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], and [[James Monroe]], were Virginians. The remaining Presidents from Virginia are [[William Henry Harrison]], [[John Tyler]], [[Zachary Taylor]], and [[Woodrow Wilson]]. Many of their Virginia homes such as [[Monticello]] and [[Mount_Vernon| Mount Vernon]] are popular tourist destinations.<ref>http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureID=94</ref> | Virginia is often called the ''Mother of Presidents'' or ''Birthplace of Presidents'' because eight U.S. Presidents have been born in Virgina. Four of the first five presidents, [[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], and [[James Monroe]], were Virginians. The remaining Presidents from Virginia are [[William Henry Harrison]], [[John Tyler]], [[Zachary Taylor]], and [[Woodrow Wilson]]. Many of their Virginia homes such as [[Monticello]] and [[Mount_Vernon| Mount Vernon]] are popular tourist destinations.<ref>http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureID=94</ref> | ||
| − | ==Five Regions of Virginia== | + | ==Five Geological Regions of Virginia== |
| − | Virginia is commonly divided into five geological regions, Tidewater, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge and the Applachia Plateau. There are no formal lines demarking these regions and any political boundaries, such as county or city boundaries are coincidental. However, these regions have identifiable geology which differentiates them. | + | Virginia is commonly divided into five geological regions, Tidewater, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge and the Applachia Plateau. There are no formal lines demarking these regions and any political boundaries, such as county or city boundaries are coincidental. However, these regions have identifiable geology which differentiates them. |
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| + | ===Tidewater=== | ||
| + | The Tidewater or "Coastal Plain" of Virginia is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the ''Fall Line''. The ''Fall Line'' is so named because it traces a line where many waterfalls occur in Virginia Rivers is a point where | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
Revision as of 00:46, April 5, 2007
Virginia, so named in honor of the "virgin queen" of England, Queen Elizabeth I, was nicknamed the Old Dominion by King Charles II because Virginia remained loyal to the crown during the English Civil War and throughout Cromwell's years. Virginia is a Commonwealth (not a state) and was one of the first colonies in North America in the 1600s and joined the United States of America in 1788.
Originally half of the federal city at Washington D.C. was on the Virginia side of the Potomac, but after the American Civil War this territory reverted back to Virginia. However, because of Virginia's proximity to Washington D.C., Virginia is the home to many important government buildings and agencies such as the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetary and the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.
Contents
Mother of Presidents
Virginia is often called the Mother of Presidents or Birthplace of Presidents because eight U.S. Presidents have been born in Virgina. Four of the first five presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, were Virginians. The remaining Presidents from Virginia are William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. Many of their Virginia homes such as Monticello and Mount Vernon are popular tourist destinations.[1]
Five Geological Regions of Virginia
Virginia is commonly divided into five geological regions, Tidewater, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge and the Applachia Plateau. There are no formal lines demarking these regions and any political boundaries, such as county or city boundaries are coincidental. However, these regions have identifiable geology which differentiates them.
Tidewater
The Tidewater or "Coastal Plain" of Virginia is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Fall Line. The Fall Line is so named because it traces a line where many waterfalls occur in Virginia Rivers is a point where
History
Before Europeans arrived, there were three main groups of American Indians living in the area now covered by Virginia. These were the Algonquian, Iroquoian (including Cherokee, Meherrin and Nottoway) and the Siouan Indians.[2]
Spanish explorers visited parts of what is now Virginia in 1560 and again in 1570 when Jesuit missionaries attempted to set up a mission. Within a year, instead of converting the Indians to Christianity, they had been killed by the Indians.[3]
Sir Walter Raleigh led an English exploration party in 1584. A group of men from England invested in a Joint Stock Company called "The Virginia Company" to find gold and other treasures. The company was granted lands in 1606 from what is now North Carolina to New York, all under the name of "Virginia" after Queen Elizabeth I (known as the "Virgin Queen" as she never married). It established the first permanent settlement for England known as Jamestown.[4]
Virginia declared independence from Britain in 1776 and became one of the original thirteen states of the United States.
References
- ↑ http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureID=94
- ↑ http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/vahistory/tribes.html accessed 10 March 2007
- ↑ Spanish Martyrs for Virginia by Matthew M. Anger (30 August 2003), accessed 10 March 2007
- ↑ Jamestown Settlement, accessed 10 March 2007
