Encyclopedia Virginia, a program of Virginia Humanities, has released a free e-book that brings together some of the state’s most essential stories from the early years of the American Revolution.
"Virginia’s Early Revolution" compiles more than a dozen entries by leading historians and subject-matter experts, offering readers an illustrated and accessible look at how Virginia shaped the path toward American independence.
The publication arrives ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations next year and is part of a larger, multiyear project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. Patty Miller, managing editor of Encyclopedia Virginia, said the goal is to make authoritative scholarship on the Revolution widely available and to highlight Virginia’s often-overlooked influence in the period before 1776.
“Everyone thinks of Lexington and Concord. They don’t think Virginia,” Miller said, referring to towns in Massachusetts that saw the first skirmishes of the war. “As we reviewed our content, we realized just how much of the early Revolution happened here and how much of it people don’t know.”
The e-book combines entries that normally appear individually on EncyclopediaVirginia.org, curating them into a cohesive narrative for teachers, students, journalists and general readers. It is designed to be compatible with major e-readers and features high-quality images, maps and archival materials.
The collection covers a sweep of events that influenced the colony’s shift from loyalty to rebellion. One of its major entries examines the causes of the American Revolution in Virginia, emphasizing that the conflict stemmed from more than taxation. Land, especially the colonists' desire to expand west of the Appalachian mountains, played a central role. The Seven Years’ War, 1756 to 1763, and the Proclamation of 1763, which restricted westward movement, are examined for how they ignited political and economic tensions unique to the colony.
Another entry focuses on Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, issued by Virginia’s last royal governor in 1775. Dunmore offered freedom to enslaved people and indentured servants owned by patriots who joined the British cause, triggering anger among enslavers and intensifying the revolutionary sentiment.
Other topics included are the Fairfax Resolves, which were early resistance efforts against the British, the Gunpowder Incident in Williamsburg and the Battle of Great Bridge in present-day Chesapeake, which helped push the colony firmly into the revolutionary camp.
Despite its size, wealth and deep cultural and economic ties to Britain, Virginia became crucial to the Revolution's success.
Miller said, “The rebellion would not have been possible if Virginia had decided not to join.”
The e-book is the first installment of a larger project. Virginia Humanities and Encyclopedia Virginia plan to release additional volumes covering the founding documents, later battles, the Virginia Plan’s influence on the U.S. Constitution and an e-book on the role of women in the Revolution. The full initiative will include around 100 new entries.
Contributors include military historians, scholars of early America and experts on Colonial and Indigenous history. A media specialist also curates maps, images and illustrations, ensuring the material is visually engaging.
Miller said, “We want anyone, whether they’re a teacher, a student, or simply curious, to have access to this history.”
The new e-book is available for download at VirginiaHumanities.org.
WHRO is a regional center for the Virginia Humanities.
