Virginia Company Declaration, 1620:
The state of Virginia got declared on 22nd June 1620. The original declaration can get accessed through the Thomas Jefferson papers preserved at the library of congress manuscript division. Notably, the manuscript got written to address the people who occupied the territory, which came to be known as Virginia. The drafters of the declaration sought to establish a state and convert all its inhabitants to Christianity. The European immigrants who came explicitly from England felt that it was necessary for America and specifically Virginia to get transformed into a Christian land. The European settlers in Virginia convinced themselves that their presence in that territory would change it and lay a foundation for prosperity like the one that was getting witnessed across America’s new land.
The declaration brings into fore several essential points that set into motion the formation of the state of Virginia. Firstly, the author of the resolution holds that the territory must get converted into a Christian land. The desire to make Virginia a Christian land shows that the founders believed in the Almighty God’s providence. Therefore, they knew that the only way to start and build a prosperous state was by giving God control over their land. Secondly, the author mentions the need to summon great minds from all over America to unite behind the dream of building a great prosperous nation. Thirdly, the author says the establishment of a just society and the elimination of martial law practiced by the colonizers.
Further, the declaration talks about the need to establish a court system. The court system would get supported by a government that controls the affairs of the state. Additionally, the author of the declaration stated that the governor of the new state should ensure that every individual gets treated fairly.
Further, the declaration got written as a guiding regulation on how the inhabitants of Virginia were to co-exist among themselves. The document detailed how the procedure of allocating land to people who found their way into Virginia. Notably, since the founders wanted the state to get occupied so that it could develop, they came up with a method of allocating land. Therefore, individuals who arrived in Virginia would get a property at various locations within the state. The area allocated totaled between fifty to one hundred acres, depending on the individual’s financial abilities. However, it is essential to note that the people who were getting allocated land in Virginia were associated with the Virginia Company.
Additionally, the company undertook to pay all the costs of transporting individuals who sought to settle in Virginia from all over America. Further, the company gave the new settlers equipment that they required for use in the house as well as on the farm. In exchange for the company’s help, the settlers would give half of their farm produce to the company. There was a signed agreement between the company and the settlers, whereby the settlers could use the land for seven years. After the expiry of the seven years, they could choose whether to renew the contract and if not, they would move to a new location. However, the question that this document does not answer is whether the new site that the settlers moved in was within or outside the state of Virginia. Secondly, if the new location they ran into was within the state of Virginia, would they pay for the new land, or was it given for free since one had already paid for the initial property.
References
Craven, W. F. (1993). The Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624 (Vol. 5). Genealogical Publishing Com.