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Religion

A diverse array of religions has shaped Virginia’s history and cultural identity from the spiritual practices of its first indigenous peoples to the multitude of faiths of its twenty-first century populace. In 1786, the General Assembly passed a statute that guaranteed religious freedom for Virginians—an important precedent for similar protections in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Religious gatherings have nurtured communities, preserved traditions across generations, and fostered collective action.

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16,000 BCE to 1622 CE
A Land of Opportunity: Creating Virginia
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1623 to 1763
A Distant Dominion
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1764 to 1824
From British Colony to American State
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1825 to 1860
Challenge of a New Century
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1861 to 1876
Civil War and Reconstruction
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1877 to 1924
Virginia in the New South
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1925 to Today
Dynamic Dominion

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