House of Burgesses

Patrick Henry addressing the House of Burgesses in an 1851 painting by Peter F. Rothermel

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Royal colony

In 1624, the Virginia Company lost its charter, and Virginia became a royal colony. As a Royal Colony, the House of Burgesses consisted of two members from every county in Virginia and one member from each of the following: the City of Williamsburg, the City of Jamestown, the City of Norfolk, and the College of William and Mary. The House of Burgesses continued to meet, but its influence was severely restricted. Despite limitations on its actions, the assembly listed within its later ranks such notables as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, who would assume a major leadership role in the movement toward independence.

End of the House of Burgesses

In 1769, members of the House of Burgesses were addressing the issue of British taxation with no representation. Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee were leading the committee in disucssion. The committee then moved on to private petitions concerning fish traps but then one of Lord Botetourt's aides entered, declaring that, "Mr. Speaker, The Governor commands the immediate Attendance of your House in the Council Chamber".

Peyton Randolph, the speaker of the house, led the men into the chamber. Botetourt then commanded, "I have heard of your resolves, and auger ill of their Effect: You have made it my Duty to dissolve you; and you are dissolved accordingly."

Many of the members of the House of Burgesses met in the Raleigh Tavern and planned the early stages of recourse. At the time they contemplate no act of revolution. This is when George Washington and Patrick Henry started to speak privately about their ideas on revolution.

In 1770, the House of Burgesses reformed. It was not long until the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1776, and the House of Burgesses was transformed into the Virginia House of Delegates.

Locations

In 1699, the seat of the House of Burgesses was moved to Middle Plantation, soon renamed Williamsburg, in honor of King William III. The Burgesses met there in two consecutive Capitol buildings (the first use of the word in the British Colonies).

In December 1779, they moved the capital city to Richmond for safety reasons during the American Revolutionary War. The present Capitol at Colonial Williamsburg is a reconstruction of the earlier of the two lost buildings.

Legacy

The Assembly became the Virginia House of Delegates in 1776, forming the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative branch of the Commonwealth (State) of Virginia.

In honor of the original House of Burgesses, every other year, the Virginia General Assembly traditionally leaves the current Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, and meets for one day in the restored Capitol at Colonial Williamsburg.

In 2006, the Assembly held a special session at Jamestown to mark the 400th anniversary of its founding as part of the Jamestown 2007 celebration.

See also

• List of Speakers of the Virginia House of Burgesses

Resources

• Hatch, Charles E., Jr., (1956 rev). America's Oldest Legislative Assembly & Its Jamestown Statehouses, Appendix II. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

• Mayer, Henry A Son of Thunder, Patrick Henry and the American Republic. New York: Franklin Watts, 1986.

• Seidner, Stanley S. (1976). In Quest of a Cultural Identity: An Inquiry for the Polish Community. New York, New York: IUME, Teachers College, Columbia University. ISBN ERIC ED167674. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED167674&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED167674.