Virginia

Eight U.S. presidents were born in Virginia, more than any other state. Four of the first five were Virginians: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. The state has been shaping the country's leadership since before the country existed.

Powhatan, Cherokee, and other Native peoples lived here for thousands of years. When English settlers founded Jamestown in 1607, the Powhatan Confederacy controlled the region. Most of the original colonists died within three years from disease, starvation, and conflict.

Captain John Smith kept the colony alive through trade with the Powhatan, but after he left, the winter of 1609 became known as the "Starving Time." Only about 60 settlers survived.

In 1619, two things happened that shaped America's future. Virginia created the House of Burgesses, the first elected assembly in the colonies. That same year, enslaved Africans from the Kingdom of Ndongo in present-day Angola arrived at Point Comfort, the beginning of race-based slavery in English North America.

Virginia produced the Declaration of Independence (Jefferson wrote it), the Constitution (Madison led the effort), and the general who won the Revolution (Washington). But it also became the heart of the Confederacy. Richmond served as the Confederate capital, and more Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than any other state.

Both wars that defined America ended here. The British surrendered at Yorktown in 1781. The Confederates surrendered at Appomattox Court House in 1865, 84 years later.

Walk the streets of Colonial Williamsburg, where actors in costume bring the 1700s to life. Tour Monticello (Jefferson's home) and Mount Vernon (Washington's estate), explore the Jamestown Settlement with its replica ships, and hike Shenandoah National Park along Skyline Drive.