Did you know that Virginia declared its independence on May 15, 1776?

            That is right! Before the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, the colony of Virginia held a Convention with members of the House of Burgesses, who “adopted resolutions saying that a declaration of rights, a republican constitution, federation with other colonies, and alliances must be adopted.”[1] After the Constitution of Virginia was finished declaring their Bill of Rights—with a preamble written by Thomas Jefferson—Virginia declared its independence;[2] however, men like James Madison, “considered Virginia independent from May 15, 1776.”[3]    

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[1] Kevin R. C. Gutzman, James Madison and the Making of America, (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012), 9.

[2] Winton U. Solberg, The Constitutional Convention and the Formation of the Union, (Champaign:University of Illinois Press, 1990), 30.

[3] Gutzman, James Madison and the Making of America, 9.