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Maggie Lena Walker
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Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934) was the daughter of Elizabeth Draper, a former kitchen slave and then cook in the Civil...
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Martha (Dandridge) Custis Washington
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This portrait of Martha Washington (1731–1802) is the work of Charles Willson Peale, who also painted the sitter several...
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Men of Color To Arms?
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When the war began, many black Americans—North and South—volunteered to serve as soldiers. United by a belief in black...
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Murals Inspired by the Story of Virginia
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Richmond is now home to more than 100 outdoor murals, and this popular form of artwork reflects the city’s modernity and...
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Olaudah Equiano
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Snatched from his Ibo village in Nigeria at the age of eleven, Equiano (c. 1745-1797) was transported to Barbados...
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Patrick Henry Arguing the Parsons’ Cause
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The Parsons’ Cause was a legal conflict rooted in the volatility of the tobacco-based economy and the state-sponsored...
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Political Sheet Music
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Politicians have long appreciated the value of a campaign song during an election year. A popular tune can rally the...
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Richmond in the Midst of the Civil War
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As the Confederate capital, Richmond experienced waves of change that saw the city lurch from the untidy influx of...
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Separate and Unequal: The Breakdown of Segregation in Virginia Schools
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The Virginia Constitution of 1869 established a statewide system of free public schools. The schools evolved in the...
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Speed or Strength?
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Early in 1862, Confederate general Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson decided to “move swiftly and strike vigorously” against...
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The 100th Anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
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On November 11, 1921, known as Armistice Day and the anniversary of the end of World War I in 1918, the remains of an...
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The Peaceful Transfer of Power: Oaths and Inaugurations
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United States Colored Troops Muster Rolls
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Organized at Camp Stanton in Benedict, Maryland, in February 1864, the 30th USCT served in spring campaigns in Virginia...
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Urbanization in Virginia
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Learn about the process of urbanization in Virginia.
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Washington's Mentor: Governor Dinwiddie's Correspondence, 1751-58
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Robert Dinwiddie's name is little known today, but this Scottish merchant-turned-government official played a key role...
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Who Freed the Enslaved People?
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Two years of fighting changed what the war was about. Beginning in 1863, the North no longer fought only to save the...
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Why is there a West Virginia?
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Secession from Virginia was the hope of some western Virginians as early as 1829. Many western Virginians felt...
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Why Richmond?
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Once Virginia seceded, the Confederate government moved the capital to Richmond, the South’s second largest city. The...
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Woodrow Wilson
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Learn about Woodrow Wilson.