Virginia State Day, Motto, and Nickname

STATE DAY June 25 STATUS Unofficial DATE OF ADMISSION TO UNITED STATES June 25, 1788 RANKING IN STATE ADMISSION 10th FORMER DESIGNATIONS Tsenacommacah Virginia Colony HISTORY Virginia is the "Mother State." Being the first British colony and the staging point for many of the colonies to be settled later, many of the sentiments that were prominent in Virginia held sway with the younger colonies. Being mainly a plantation state, and like the other colonies steeped in the agrarian economic practices of the time, Virginia was one of the first to feel the effects of increasing British taxation without representation. The situation continued to worsen until the first Virginia Convention was held in August 1774, when delegates to the Continental Congress were elected. By April 1775, the situation deteriorated into armed conflict and the beginning of the Revolutionary War. More conventions were held in Virginia with the Fifth Virginia Convention declaring Virginia to be a free and independent state. Virginia’s independence was declared to the Continental Congress on June 7, 1776, and a state constitution and a bill of rights were created shortly thereafter. After the former colonies won their war of independence, Virginia was admitted to the Union as the 10th state on June 25, 1788. MOTTO Sic semper tyrannis ("Thus always to tyrants") Virginia’s motto appears on the state seal and on the state flag. The motto symbolizes victory over the tyranny of British rule. NICKNAMES "Mother of Presidents," "Old Dominion," "The Commonwealth," "The Mother State," "The Mother of States," "The Mother of Statesmen," "The Cavalier State" The home of eight presidents of the United States, Virginia is often referred to as the "Mother of Presidents." In recognition of the Virginia Colony’s steadfast loyalty to Charles II of England during the Roundhead Revolt, the king added the arms of Virginia to his shield in 1663 along with the dominions of England, France, Ireland, and Scotland. "Old Dominion" has been Virginia’s most favored nickname ever since. Virginia is officially referred to as the Commonwealth of Virginia, hence the nickname "The Commonwealth." Virginia was the first British Colony in the Americas, and thus the first state to be colonized; this led to its nickname of "The Mother State." "The Mother of States," refers to the fact that many of the people that colonized the surrounding states came from Virginia. Many of the great statesmen in the history of the United States also were Virginia natives, thus earning it the nickname "Mother of Statesmen." The nickname "The Cavalier State" is a reference to the loyalty shown by the Virginia Colony during the reigns of Charles I and II and during the intervening period when Oliver Cromwell held power. -World Trade Press