Virginia History Time Line
19th Century

Thomas Jefferson was elected the third president on March 4, 1801. He had become famous writing the Declaration of Independence. Also, he had been the Secretary of State and the Vice President of the United States. Thomas Jefferson had many other talents like writing and inventing. You can see many of his inventions if you visit his home, called Monticello. He also founded the University of Virginia and today's Democratic Party. His presidency was famous for the Louisiana Purchase.

At this time, Virginian Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States. He wanted the United States to expand westward. During this period, France owned most of the land that was west of the Mississippi River. France also controlled the port city of New Orleans. Jefferson thought the United States needed this land and the use of the river to ship goods to New Orleans. He sent a fellow Virginian, James Monroe, to buy the land from France. France agreed to the low price of fifteen million dollars which is just four cents an acre!

In the Lewis and Clark expedition, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark were sent to explore the western frontier that had just been purchased from France in the Louisiana Purchase. Sacajawea was an Indian woman who served as their interpreter. Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to cross the continent all the way to the Pacific Ocean. They explored for two years and brought back maps, stories, and even bear cubs for Thomas Jefferson.

James Madison, a Virginian, was elected the fourth president of the United States of America. He started his first term in 1809. James helped us find more about how the constitution was made from all his detailed notes. He also helped compose the Constitution and by that he became known as the "Father of the Constitution". When Madison took office Britain and France were at war in Europe. Thomas Jefferson said that America should not interfere in the war. Madison agreed but that changed when Britain attacked some American supply ships going to France. On June 1,1812, James Madison asked Congress to declare war on Britain. That started the War of 1812, and the fighting went on for two years straight.

James Monroe was elected president in 1817. He was also a Virginian. His years as president are known as the "Era of Good Feeling" because the War of 1812 with Britain was over, and the country was at peace again. The citizens were also happy with the government and how the country was growing at this time. While Monroe was president, our country added Florida and five states. They bought Florida from Spain.

Nat Turner was a Virginia slave who tried to fight for his freedom. In 1831 he led a group of slaves in a rebellion against a number of Virginia plantation owners. Turner was captured and hung the next day.

The first steam-driven railroad in Virginia was built in 1833. It ran from Richmond, Virginia, to Weldon, North Carolina. Later on more railroads were built that connected cities like Norfolk, Portsmouth, Petersburg, and Fredericksburg. All of the cities along the Fall Line built their own short railroads in the middle of the 19th century. They did this to try to compete for western trade.

In 1859, John Brown, an abolitionist, led a group of 21 men in a raid to steal weapons from Harpers Ferry to fight against slavery. Harpers Ferry was a battle ground in which parts of the Civil War were fought. While today it is in West Virginia, at that time Harpers Ferry was in Virginia.

Eleven states seceded, including Virginia. Virginia didn't want to secede but wanted to remain loyal to its southern neighbors and Robert E. Lee wanted to remain loyal to Virginia. The Civil War began at Ft. Sumter, Charleston, S.C., in April, 1861. President Lincoln wanted to keep slavery from spreading. The south argued for slavery and states' rights.

Many people in the western part of Virginia did not feel close to the rest of the state. The mountains and rivers separated them, making them feel closer to the north. These people were not in favor of slavery. But, not all western Virginians wanted to break away from Virginia. Some of these people were in favor of slavery. Although there were mixed feelings about leaving Virginia, they decided they would. West Virginia then became a new state that belonged to the Union instead of the Confederacy.

After four long years, the Civil War finally ended. In the end, Robert E. Lee and his troops were forced to leave Richmond, which had been the capital of the Confederacy. Before they left, they set fire to bridges and warehouses so the Union could not use their supplies. Then the whole city was on fire, and the mayor surrendered. The very weak and starving Confederate troops retreated, but the Union troops caught up with them at Appomattox Court House. Lee surrendered to Grant there which ended the Civil War.

In 1867, near the southwestern part of Virginia, coal deposits were discovered. People were beginning to mine the coal and they were using it for heat in their homes to keep warm. They realized that coal was a very good resource for energy. Mining was hard work in the 1800's, as the people used picks and shovels. Now, machines drill shafts and special tools are used to remove the coal. Today, the United States gets 19% of its electricity from coal. Some people think that coal will become even more important in the future as other energy sources used to make electricity start to run out.

In the year of 1870, Virginia was readmitted to the Union. At that time, the radical Republicans ran Virginia until the year of 1882. During this period, the Readjusters gained power. They were conservatives. They have held power in the government ever since although the Democrats held the governorship from 1886 to 1970.