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94-403: It is famous because it is where the home and church of John Chilembwe is located. It was the site of European farming settlement. 15°42′S 35°11′E  /  15.700°S 35.183°E  / -15.700; 35.183 This Malawi location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . John Chilembwe John Chilembwe (June 1871 – 3 February 1915)

188-415: A historic site . To avoid the many visitors at Monticello , Thomas Jefferson in 1806 developed a plantation and house near Lynchburg, called Poplar Forest . He often visited the town, noting, "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be useful to the town of Lynchburg. I consider it as the most interesting spot in the state." In 1810, Jefferson wrote, "Lynchburg is perhaps the most rising place in

282-924: A Baptist to establish the Zambezi Industrial Mission near Blantyre . Booth was critical of the reluctance of Scottish Presbyterian missions to admit Africans as full church members, and later founded seven more independent missions in Nyasaland which, like the Zambezi Industrial Mission(Potts), focused on the equality of all worshippers. In Booth's household and mission, where he was closely associated with Booth, Chilembwe became acquainted with Booth's radical religious ideas and egalitarian feelings. Booth left Nyasaland with Chilembwe in 1897; he returned to Nyasaland alone in 1899 but left permanently in 1902, although he continued to correspond with Chilembwe. After 1906, Booth

376-567: A convenient term with derogatory implications employed by Europeans to describe a number of different peoples who originated in Mozambique but had migrated into Nyasaland, mostly those speaking one of the Makua languages , often the Lomwe language , who themselves used various names to refer to their places of origin. They left Mozambique in significant numbers from 1899 when a harsh new labour code

470-623: A downtown area referred to as the "Buzzard's Roost." Methodist preacher and later bishop John Early became one of Lynchburg's civic leaders; unlike early Methodist preachers who had urged abolition of slavery during the Great Awakening ; Early was of a later generation that had accommodated to this institution in the slave societies of the South. On December 3, 1840, the James River and Kanawha Canal from Richmond reached Lynchburg. It

564-670: A few other members of the Churches of Christ in Zomba were also found guilty. In 1900 Chilembwe returned to Nyasaland, in his own words, "to labour amongst his benighted race". Backed financially by the National Baptist Convention of America , Inc., which also provided two American Baptist helpers until 1906, Chilembwe started his Providence Industrial Mission (P.I.M.) in Chiradzulu district. In its first decade,

658-498: A fire in 1919. However, use of the theme of "Africa for the Africans" suggests a political motive rather than a purely millennial religious one. Chilembwe is said to have drawn parallels between his rising and that of John Brown , and stated his wish to "strike a blow and die" immediately before the rising started. However, this is based solely on what George Simeon Mwase , who was absent from Nyasaland in 1915, wrote 17 years after

752-567: A four-season humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with cool winters and hot, humid summers. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 35.9 °F (2.2 °C) in January to 76.0 °F (24.4 °C) in July. Nights tend to be significantly cooler than days throughout much of the year due in part to the moderate elevation. In a typical year, there are 27.4 days with a high temperature 90 °F (32 °C) or above, and 6.2 days with

846-423: A high of 32 °F (0 °C) or below. Snowfall averages 11.6 inches (29 cm) per season but this amount varies highly with each winter; the snowiest winter is 1995–96 with 56.8 in (144 cm) of snow, but the following winter recorded only trace amounts, the least on record. The average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity. The plant hardiness zone

940-419: A household in the city was $ 32,234, and the median income for a family was $ 40,844. Males had a median income of $ 31,390 versus $ 22,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,263. About 12.3% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over. Lynchburg ranks below the 2006 median annual household income for

1034-714: A line in the Norfolk and Western Railway , and last as part of the Norfolk Southern Railway . The Orange and Alexandria Railroad stopped in Lynchburg. During the American Civil War , Lynchburg served as a Confederate transportation hub and supply depot. It had 30 hospitals, often placed in churches, hotels, and private homes. In June 1864, Union forces of General David Hunter approached within 1-mile (1.6 km) as they drove south from

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1128-470: A natural focus for African agitation, and Chilembwe became the spokesman for African tenants on the Bruce Estates. Chilembwe provoked confrontation by erecting churches on estate land, which Livingstone burned down because he considered them as centres for agitation against the management and because they made potential claims on estate land. Chilembwe was angered by Livingstone's refusal to accept

1222-488: A number of his countrymen, "have already shed their blood", others were being "crippled for life" and "invited to die for a cause which is not theirs". The war-time censor prevented publication of the letter, and by December 1914, Chilembwe was regarded with suspicion by the colonial authorities. The Governor decided to deport Chilembwe and some of his followers, and approached the Mauritius government asking them to accept

1316-477: A series of meetings held in December 1914 and early January 1915, Chilembwe and his leading followers aimed at overturning colonial rule and supplanting it, if possible. However, it is possible that he learnt of his intended deportation, and was forced to bring forward the date of his revolt, making the prospects of its success more unlikely, and turning it into a symbolic gesture of protest. When he brought forward

1410-491: A tobacco trading, then commercial, and much later an industrial center. Eventually the state built a canal and towpath along the river to make transportation by the waterway easier, and especially to provide a water route around the falls at Richmond, which prevented through navigation by boat. By 1812, U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall , who lived in Richmond, reported on the navigation difficulties and construction problems on

1504-531: A train was continuously run up and down the tracks while drummers played and Lynchburg citizens cheered as if reinforcements were disembarking. Local prostitutes took part in the deception, misleading their Union clients about the large number of Confederate reinforcements. Narcissa Owen ( Cherokee ), wife of the president of the Lynchburg and Tennessee Railroad , later wrote about her similar deception of Union spies. From April 6 to 10, 1865, Lynchburg served as

1598-401: A wife named Ida. They had two sons, John (nicknamed Charlie) and Donald, who were born at unknown dates, in addition to a daughter, Emma, who died during infancy. After Chilembwe was killed, Ida took care of the two sons until her death amidst the 1918 influenza outbreak , where afterwards, they were under the care of their grandmother until she herself died in 1922. They were then entrusted into

1692-437: Is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 5 °F (−15 °C). Temperature extremes range from 106 °F (41 °C), recorded on July 10, 1936, down to −11 °F (−24 °C), recorded on February 20, 2015 . However, several decades may pass between 100 and 0 °F (38 and −18 °C) readings, with the last such occurrences being July 8, 2012 and February 20, 2015, respectively. One of

1786-601: Is ambiguous, and Chilembwe's activities have been more closely related to the Ethiopian movement of African churches breaking away, often with black American backing, from the more orthodox but European controlled Presbyterian , Baptist , Methodist or other denominations, than being under the influence of overtly millenarian groups such as the Seventh-day Adventists . In the Shire Highlands ,

1880-649: Is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch , the city's population was 79,009 at the 2020 census , making Lynchburg the 11th most populous city in Virginia . Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River , Lynchburg is known as the " City of Seven Hills " or

1974-928: Is one of the country's largest institutions of higher education and the largest employer in the Lynchburg region. The university states that it generates over $ 1 billion in economic impact to the Lynchburg area annually. Lynchburg has ten recognized historic districts, four of them in the downtown residential area. Since 1971, 40 buildings have been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Downtown Lynchburg has undergone significant revitalization, with hundreds of new loft apartments created through adaptive reuse of historic warehouses and mills. Since 2000, downtown has attracted private investments of more than $ 110 million, and business activity increased by 205% from 2004 to 2014. In 2014, 75 new apartment units were added to downtown Lynchburg, with 155 further units under construction, increasing

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2068-441: Is very little direct evidence of what Chilembwe did preach although, at least in his first decade in Nyasaland, his main message was of African advancement through Christianity and hard work. The evidence that has been interpreted as showing his millenarian views is dated from 1914 onward, when he began baptizing many new church members without their first receiving instruction, as was normal Baptist practice. However this evidence

2162-927: The Haudenosaunee , or Iroquois Confederacy based in New York, defeated them. The Seneca had ranged south while seeking new hunting grounds through the Shenandoah Valley to the West. At the Treaty of Albany in 1718, the Iroquois Five Nations ceded control of their land east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including Lynchburg, to the Colony of Virginia ; they confirmed this in 1721. First settled by Anglo-Americans in 1757, Lynchburg

2256-777: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) founded Lynchburg Christian College (later Lynchburg College ) in what had been the Westover Hotel resort, which went bankrupt in the Panic of 1901 . During the 2018–19 school year, the college's name was changed to the University of Lynchburg , reflecting its expansion of graduate-level programs and research. Lynchburg's first public library, the Jones Memorial Library , opened in 1907. During World War I,

2350-732: The King's African Rifles , and up to 200,000 others were forced to be porters for varying periods, mostly in the East African Campaign against the Germans in Tanganyika, and disease caused many casualties among them. One of the earliest campaigns, a German invasion of Nyasaland and a battle at Karonga in September 1914 caused Chilembwe to write an impassioned letter against the war to the "Nyasaland Times" newspaper, saying that

2444-449: The Lynchburg and Tennessee Railroad . By the 1850s, Lynchburg (along with New Bedford, Massachusetts ) was among the richest towns per capita in the US. Tobacco (including the manufacture of plug tobacco in factories using rented slave labor), slave-trading, general commerce, and iron and steel manufacturing powered the economy. Railroads had become the wave of the future. Construction on

2538-537: The Shenandoah Valley . Confederate troops under General John McCausland harassed them. Meanwhile, the city's defenders hastily erected breastworks on Amherst Heights. Defenders were led by General John C. Breckinridge , who was an invalid from wounds received at the Battle of Cold Harbor . Union General Philip Sheridan appeared headed for Lynchburg on June 10, as he crossed the Chickahominy River and cut

2632-545: The South River Friends Meetinghouse . Quakers later abandoned the town because of their moral opposition to slave-holding. Presbyterians took over the grounds of the meetinghouse in 1899, and adapted it as a church, later building a new church adjacent to the site, and restoring the Quaker meetinghouse to the buildings historical appearance. The meeting house and burial ground are now preserved as

2726-798: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 49.6 square miles (128.5 km ), of which 49.2 square miles (127.4 km ) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km ) (1.0%) is water. The first neighborhoods of Lynchburg developed upon seven hills adjacent to the original ferry landing. These neighborhoods include: Other major neighborhoods, with more upside, include Tinbridge Hill, Boonsboro, Trents Ferry, Rivermont, Fairview Heights (Campbell Ave corridor), Jackson Heights, Federal Hill (Federal Street, Jackson Street, Harrison Street) Fort Hill, Forest Hill (Old Forest Rd. Area), Timberlake, Windsor Hills, Sandusky, Sheffield, Linkhorne, Cornerstone and Wyndhurst. Lynchburg has

2820-697: The United States Supreme Court in Buck v. Bell . She was classified as "feeble-minded" and sterilized while a patient at the Virginia State Colony. Sterilizations were carried out for 35 years until 1972, when the operations were halted. Later in the late 1970s, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of Virginia on behalf of the sterilization victims. In

2914-560: The Virginia Central Railroad . However, Confederate cavalry under General Wade Hampton , including the 2nd Virginia Cavalry from Lynchburg under General Thomas T. Munford , defeated his forces at the two-day Battle of Trevilian Station in Louisa County, and they withdrew. This permitted fast-marching troops under Confederate General Jubal Early to reach within four miles of Lynchburg on June 16 and tear up

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3008-790: The "Hill City". In the 1860s, Lynchburg was the only city in Virginia that was not recaptured by the Union before the end of the American Civil War . Lynchburg lies at the center of a wider metropolitan area close to the geographic center of Virginia locally known as “the Lynchburg area”. It is the fifth-largest MSA in Virginia, with a population of 261,593. It is the site of several institutions of higher education, including Virginia University of Lynchburg , Randolph College , University of Lynchburg , Central Virginia Community College and Liberty University . Nearby cities include Roanoke , Charlottesville , and Danville . Monacan Indian Nation and other Siouan Tutelo -speaking tribes had lived in

3102-517: The Magomero estate throughout that five- or six-month period by exploiting the obligations of the migrant labour tenancy system called thangata . Alexander Livingstone Bruce , who controlled the A. L. Bruce Estates operations, instructed Livingstone not to allow any mission work to be carried on or schools to be opened on the Bruce Estates, although the company provided free medical and hospital treatment for workers. Alexander Livingstone Bruce held

3196-470: The U.S. as a whole, which was $ 48,200, according to the US Census Bureau. In 2009, almost 27% of Lynchburg children lived in poverty. The state average that year was 14%. Of Virginia's larger metro areas, Forbes Magazine ranked Lynchburg the 5th best place in Virginia for business in 2006, with Virginia being the best state in the country for business. In the same survey, Lynchburg achieved

3290-411: The U.S.... It ranks now next to Richmond in importance...." Early Lynchburg residents were not known for their religious enthusiasm. The established Church of England supposedly built a log church in 1765. In 1804, evangelist Lorenzo Dow wrote: "...where I spoke in the open air in what I conceived to be the seat of Satan's Kingdom. Lynchburg was a deadly place for the worship of God'." That referred to

3384-488: The United States. In 1880, Lynchburg resident James Albert Bonsack invented the first cigarette-rolling machine. Shortly thereafter Dr. Charles Browne Fleet , a physician and pharmacological tinkerer, introduced the first micro-enema to be mass marketed over the counter. By the city's centennial in 1886, banking activity had increased sixfold over the 1860 level, which some attributed to slavery's demise. The Lynchburg Cotton Mill and Craddock-Terry Shoe Co. (which would become

3478-520: The Yao infiltration into Mang'anja territory, and that his mother may have been called Nyangu: his likely pre-baptismal name was Nkologo. However, other also quite recent sources give differing parental names. Chilembwe attended a Church of Scotland mission from around 1890. In 1892 he became a house servant of Joseph Booth , a radical and independent-minded missionary. Booth had arrived in Africa in 1892 as

3572-540: The aim of uniting some or all of these African churches with his own mission church at the centre. Some of Chilembwe's congregation had formerly been Watchtower followers and he maintained contact with Elliot Kamwana, but the influence of Watchtower's millennial beliefs on him is minimised by most authors except the Lindens. Although the vast majority of those found guilty of rebellion and sentenced to death or to long terms of imprisonment were members of Chilembwe's church,

3666-731: The area for over 10,000 years, driving the Virginia Algonquians eastward to the coastal areas. Explorer John Lederer visited one of the Siouan villages ( Saponi ) in 1670, on the Staunton River at Otter Creek, southwest of the present-day city, as did the Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam expedition in 1671. Siouan peoples occupied this area until about 1702; they had become weakened because of high mortality from infectious diseases. The Seneca people , who were part of

3760-424: The area. Lynchburg lost its bid to gain access to an interstate highway. In the late 1950s, interested citizens, including Virginia Senator Mosby G. Perrow, Jr. , asked the federal government to change its long-planned route for the interstate highway, now known as I-64, between Clifton Forge and Richmond. Since the 1940s, maps of the federal interstate highway system showed a proposed northern route, bypassing

3854-800: The blessing of the Foreign Missions Board and financial assistance from the National Baptist Convention. For the first 12 years of his ministry after his return to Nyasaland, Chilembwe encouraged African self-respect and advancement through education, hard work and personal responsibility, as advocated by Booker T. Washington , His activities were initially supported by white Protestant missionaries, although his relations with Catholic missions were less friendly. After 1912, Chilembwe developed closer contacts with local independent African churches , including Seventh Day Baptist and Churches of Christ congregations, with

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3948-467: The boosters who wanted Lynchburg to become the junction of that valley line and what became the Norfolk and Western Railroad , so the junction was moved to Big Lick. This later developed as the City of Roanoke . In the latter 19th century, Lynchburg embraced manufacturing (the city being sometimes referred to as the "Pittsburgh of the South"). On a per capita basis, it became one of the wealthiest cities in

4042-469: The canal and towpath. The General Assembly recognized the settlement's growth by incorporating Lynchburg as a town in 1805; it was not incorporated as a city until 1852. In between, Lynch built Lynchburg's first bridge across the James River, a toll structure that replaced his ferry in 1812. A toll turnpike to Salem, Virginia was begun in 1817. Lynch died in 1820 and was buried in the burial ground of

4136-701: The capital of Virginia after the Confederate government fled from Richmond. Governor William Smith and the Commonwealth's executive and legislative branches escaped to Lynchburg as Richmond surrendered on April 3. Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse , roughly 20-mile (32 km) east of Lynchburg, ending the Civil War. Lynchburg surrendered on April 12, to Union General Ranald S. Mackenzie . Ten days later, Confederate Brigadier General James Dearing died. He

4230-563: The city was 63.0% White , 29.3% African American , 0.2% Native American , 2.5% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.63% from other races , and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population. There were 25,477 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who

4324-642: The city's factories supported the war effort, and the area also supplied troops. The city powered through the Roaring Twenties and survived the Great Depression . Its first radio station, WLVA, began in 1930, and its airport opened in 1931. In 1938, the former fairgrounds were redeveloped as side-by-side baseball and football stadiums. Lynchburg's factories again worked 24 hours daily during World War II . In 1955, both General Electric and Babcock & Wilcox built high technology factories in

4418-405: The considered view that educated Africans had no place in colonial society and he opposed their education. He also recorded his personal dislike for Chilembwe as an educated African; he considered all African-led churches were centres for agitation, and prohibited their being built on the Magomero estate. Although this prohibition applied to all missions, Chilembwe's mission was the closest; it became

4512-701: The date of the Shire Highlands rising, Chilembwe was unable to ensure that it could still be coordinated with the planned rising in the Ntcheu District, which was therefore largely abortive. The failure in Ncheu District may also relate to the pacifism of many Seventh Day Baptist and Watchtower followers who were expected to rise there. The aims of the rising remain unclear, partly because Chilembwe and many of his leading supporters were killed, and also because many documents were destroyed in

4606-487: The deportees a few days before the rising started. The censoring of Chilembwe's letter appears to be the trigger moving him from conspiracy to action. He began the detailed organisation for a rebellion, gathering together a small group of Africans, educated either at the Blantyre Mission or the schools of the independent, separatist African churches in the Shire Highlands and Ncheu District, as his lieutenants. In

4700-612: The difficulties the two encountered when traveling together in the United States, Booth introduced Chilembwe to the Reverend Lewis G Gordon, Foreign Missions Secretary of the National Baptist Convention , who arranged for the latter to attend the Virginia Theological Seminary and College (now Virginia University of Lynchburg ), a small Baptist institution at Lynchburg, Virginia where he almost certainly studied African-American history. The principal

4794-462: The event. Mwase claimed the phrase, "…strike a blow and die…" was said by Chilembwe several times, but it is not recorded elsewhere, and it conflicts with the actual course of the uprising, during which several of the chosen leaders stayed home and many followers fled once troops appeared. The first part of Chilembwe's plan was to attack European centres in the Shire Highlands on the night between 23 and 24 January 1915 to obtain arms and ammunition, and

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4888-435: The five years before his death, he faced a series of problems in the mission and in his personal life. From around 1910, he incurred several debts at a time when mission expenses were rising and funds from his American backers were drying up. Attacks of asthma, the death of a daughter, and his declining eyesight and general health may have deepened his anger and alienation. The sources cited above agree that, after 1912 or 1913

4982-468: The government inquiry that he had been "wearing a dark blue coat, a coloured shirt and a striped pyjama jacket over the shirt and grey flannel trousers. With the body was brought in a pair of spectacles, a pair of pince nez and a pair of black boots". Even when being tracked down by patrols on the Mozambique border Chilembwe had continued to maintain his appearance as a "civilised gentleman". Most of Chilembwe's leading followers and some other participants in

5076-472: The government that might be thought subversive. However, by 1912 or 1913, Chilembwe had become more politically militant and openly voiced criticism over the state of African land rights in the Shire Highlands and of the conditions of labour tenants there, particularly on the A. L. Bruce Estates. It has also been claimed that Chilembwe preached a form of Millenarianism and that this may have influenced his decision to initiate an armed uprising in 1915. There

5170-488: The hands of the Blantyre Mission and government as orphans. Charlie and Donald struggled to live up to their father's legacy; Charlie spent his last years at Blantyre working as a sweeper until his death in 1971, while Donald, struggling to find work, largely vanishes from the historic record in the 1930s. It is speculated that he went to the United States or South Africa . Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg

5264-434: The lack of churches, which was corrected the following year. Itinerant Methodist Francis Asbury visited the town; Methodists built its first church in 1805. Lynchburg hosted the last Virginia Methodist Conference that bishop Asbury attended (February 20, 1815). As Lynchburg grew, prostitution and other "rowdy" activities became part of the urban mix of the river town. They were often ignored, if not accepted, particularly in

5358-784: The largest shoe manufacturer in the South) were founded in 1888. The Reusens hydroelectric dam began operating in 1903 and soon delivered more power. In 1886, Virginia Baptists founded a training school, the Lynchburg Baptist Seminary. It began to offer a college-level program to African-American students in 1900. Now named the Virginia University of Lynchburg , it is the city's oldest institution of higher learning. Not far outside town, Randolph-Macon Woman's College and Sweet Briar College were founded as women's colleges in 1893 and 1901, respectively. In 1903,

5452-537: The manufacturing centers at Lynchburg and Roanoke. But federal officials assured Virginia that the state would decide the route. Although initially favoring that northern route, Virginia's State Highway Commission eventually supported a southern route from Richmond via US-360 and US-460, which connected Lynchburg and Roanoke via US-220 from Roanoke to Clifton Forge, then continued west following US-60 into West Virginia. However, in July 1961, Governor J. Lindsay Almond and US Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges announced that

5546-404: The mentally retarded for the purpose of eugenics . The operations were carried out at the institution. An estimated 8,300 Virginians were relocated to Lynchburg and sterilized there, making the city a "dumping ground" of sorts for the feeble-minded, poor, blind, epileptic, and those otherwise seen as genetically "unfit". Carrie Buck challenged the state sterilization, but it was finally upheld by

5640-433: The mission developed slowly, assisted by regular small donations from his American backers, and Chilembwe founded several schools, which by 1912 had 1,000 pupils and 800 adult students. He preached the values of hard-work, self-respect and self-help to his congregation and, although as early as 1905 he used his church position to deplore the condition of Africans in the protectorate, he initially avoided specific criticism of

5734-670: The most densely populated part of the protectorate, European estates occupied about 867,000 acres , or over 350,000 hectares , almost half of the best arable land . Relatively few local Africans remained on the estates when the owners introduced labour rents, preferring to settle on Crown Land where customary law entitled them to use (sometimes overcrowded) land belonging to the community, or to become migrant workers . However, planters with large areas of available land but limited labour could engage migrants from Mozambique (who had no right to use community lands) on terms that Nyasaland Africans found unacceptable. These were called "Anguru",

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5828-465: The most prominent nicknames of Lynchburg is the "City of Seven Hills." This is due to one prominent feature of its geography, the seven hills that are spread throughout the region. The seven hills are: College Hill, Garland Hill, Daniel's Hill, Federal Hill, Diamond Hill, White Rock Hill, and Franklin Hill. Note: the U.S. Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from

5922-583: The name Malawi. Chilembwe's likeness was seen on the obverse of all Malawian kwacha notes from 1997 until May 2012, when new notes were launched; the 500-kwacha note still carries his portrait. Since December 2016, the newly introduced 2000-kwacha note also carries his picture. John Chilembwe Day is observed annually on 15 January in Malawi. A larger-than-life statue of John Chilembwe was unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square in September 2022. Chilembwe had

6016-607: The new Lynchburg and Tennessee railroad had begun in 1850 and a locomotive tested the track in 1852. A locomotive called the "Lynchburg" blew up in Forest, Virginia (near Poplar Forest) later that year, showing the new technology's dangers. By the Civil War, two more railroads had been built, including the South Side Railroad from Petersburg . It became known as the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad in 1870, then

6110-520: The number of housing units downtown by 48% from 2010 to 2014. In 2015, the $ 5.8-million Lower Bluffwalk pedestrian street zone opened. Notable projects underway in downtown by the end of 2015 include the $ 25-million Virginian Hotel restoration project, a $ 16.6-million restoration of the Academy Center of the Arts, and $ 4.6-million expansion of Amazement Square Children's Museum. According to

6204-407: The only appropriate relationship between Europeans and Africans was that of master and servant was at the heart of colonial society, led by the landowners. This concept may have been what Chilembwe aimed to fight against with his schools and self-help schemes, and ultimately why he turned to violent action, although see also for an alternate viewpoint. Nyasaland gained independence in 1964, taking

6298-401: The outbreak of the First World War , Chilembwe organised an unsuccessful armed uprising against colonial rule. Today, Chilembwe is celebrated as a hero of independence in some African countries, and John Chilembwe Day is observed annually on 15 January in Malawi. There is limited information about John Chilembwe's parentage and birth. An American pamphlet of 1914 claimed that John Chilembwe

6392-509: The previous year (and President George Washington was given stock, which he donated to charity) in order to "improve" the river down to Richmond , which was growing and was named as the new Commonwealth's capital. Shallow-draft James River bateau provided a relatively easy means of transportation through Lynchburg down to Richmond and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. Rocks, downed trees, and flood debris were constant hazards, so their removal became expensive ongoing maintenance. Lynchburg became

6486-407: The public education established under Virginia's Reconstruction-era legislature and Constitution of 1869, and built four new public schools. Previously, the only education for students from poor families was provided through St. Paul's Episcopal Church . Floods in 1870 and 1877 destroyed the city's bridges (which were rebuilt) and the James River and Kanahwa Canal (which was not rebuilt). The towpath

6580-429: The racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. As of the 2010 census , there were 75,568 people, 25,477 households, and 31,992 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,321.5 people per square mile (510.2 people/km ). There were 27,640 housing units at an average density of 559.6 units per square mile (216.1 units/km ). The racial makeup of

6674-417: The rising and it blamed Chilembwe for his mixture of political and religious teaching, but also the unsatisfactory conditions on the A L Bruce Estates and the unduly harsh regime of W. J. Livingstone. The enquiry heard that the conditions imposed on the A L Bruce Estates were illegal and oppressive, including paying workers poorly or in kind (not in cash), demanding excessive labour from tenants or not recording

6768-571: The rising were executed after summary trials under martial law shortly after it failed. The total number of those killed is unclear, because extrajudicial killings were carried out by European members of the Nyasaland Volunteer Reserve . The government also shut down Chilembwe's Providence Industrial Mission. The PIM remained inactive until 1926, when it reopened under the leadership of former student Daniel Sharpe Malekebu . A Commission of Enquiry into Chilembwe's uprising

6862-596: The route would not be changed. Lynchburg was left as the only city with a population in excess of 50,000 (at the time) that was not served by an interstate. The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded (now known as the Central Virginia Training School), was established outside Lynchburg in Madison Heights . For several decades throughout the mid-20th century, the state of Virginia authorized compulsory sterilization of

6956-563: The second was to attack European estates in the same area simultaneously. Most of Chilembwe's force of about 200 men were from his P.I.M. congregations in Chiradzulu and Mlanje , with some support from other independent African churches in the Shire Highlands. In the third part of the plan, the forces of the Ncheu revolt based on the local independent Seventh Day Baptists would move south to link up with Chilembwe. He hoped that discontented Africans on European estates, relatives of soldiers killed in

7050-526: The series of social and personal issues mentioned increased Chilembwe's bitterness toward Europeans in Nyasaland, and moved him towards thoughts of revolt and genocide. However, they treat the outbreak and effects of the First World War as the key factor in moving him from thought to planning to take action, which he believed it was his destiny to lead, for the deliverance of his people. In the course of this war, some 19,000 Nyasaland Africans served in

7144-549: The settlement, victims received formal apologies from the state and counseling if they chose, but the judiciary denied requests for the state to pay for reverse sterilization operations. In 1994, Buck's sterilization and litigation were featured as a television drama, Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story . The Manic Street Preachers address the issue in their song "Virginia State Epileptic Colony" on their 2009 album Journal for Plague Lovers . Liberty University , founded in 1971 as Lynchburg Baptist College and renamed in 1985,

7238-508: The tracks of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad to inhibit travel by Union reinforcements, while Confederate reinforcements straggled in from Charlottesville. On June 18, 1864, in the Battle of Lynchburg , Early's combined forces, though outnumbered, repelled Union General Hunter's troops. Lynchburg's defenders had taken pains to create an impression that the Confederate forces within the city were much larger than they were in fact. For example,

7332-440: The war and others would join as the rising progressed. It is uncertain if Chilembwe had definite plans in the event of failure; some suggest he intended to seek a symbolic death, others that he planned to escape to Mozambique. The first and third parts of the plan failed almost completely: some of his lieutenants did not carry out their attacks, so few arms were obtained, the Ncheu group had failed to form and move south, and there

7426-525: The work they did, and whipping and beating both workers and tenants. The abuses were confirmed by Magomero workers and tenants questioned by the Commission in 1915. Livingstone alone was blamed for these unsatisfactory conditions, and the resident director of the A L Bruce Estates, Alexander Livingstone Bruce, who had absolute control over estate policy and considered that educated Africans had no place in colonial society, escaped censure. The concept that

7520-579: The worth of African people, and also frustrated by the refusal of the settlers and government to provide suitable opportunities or a political voice to the African "new men", who had been educated by the Presbyterian and other missions in Nyasaland or in some cases had received a higher education abroad. A number of such men became Chilembwe's lieutenants in the rising. Although in his first decade at P.I.M., Chilembwe had been reasonably successful, in

7614-440: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.92. The age distribution of the city had: 22.1% under the age of 18, 15.5% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 79.1 males. The median income for

7708-422: Was a Baptist pastor, educator and revolutionary who trained as a minister in the United States , returning to Nyasaland in 1901. He was an early figure in the resistance to colonialism in Nyasaland ( Malawi ), opposing both the treatment of Africans working in agriculture on European-owned plantations and the colonial government's failure to promote the social and political advancement of Africans. Soon after

7802-442: Was a Sunday, Chilembwe conducted a service in the P.I.M. church with Livingstone's impaled head prominently displayed. However, by 26 January he realised that the uprising had failed to gain local support. After avoiding attempts to capture him and apparently trying to escape into Mozambique, he was tracked down and killed by an askari military patrol on 3 February. An assistant magistrate that had inspected Chilembwe's body informed

7896-411: Was a militantly independent Negro, Gregory Hayes, and Chilembwe both experienced the contemporary prejudice against negroes and was exposed to radical American Negro ideas and the works of John Brown , Booker T. Washington , Frederick Douglass and others. He was ordained as a Baptist minister at Lynchburg in 1899. After completing his studies at Lynchburg in 1900, he returned to Nyasaland in 1900 with

7990-673: Was a native of nearby Campbell County and descendant of John Lynch; he had been wounded on April 6 at High Bridge during that Appomattox campaign. Mackenzie had visited his wounded friend and former West Point classmate, easing the transition of power. The railroads that had driven Lynchburg's economy were destroyed by the war's end. The residents of the city deeply resented occupying forces under General John Irvin Gregg , and worked more readily with his affable successor General Newton Martin Curtis . Thomas J. Kirkpatrick became superintendent for

8084-510: Was appointed and, at its hearings in June 1915, the European planters blamed missionary activities while European missionaries emphasised the dangers of the teaching and preaching by independent African churches like those led by Chilembwe. Several Africans who gave evidence complained about the treatment of workers on estates, but were largely ignored. The official enquiry needed to find causes for

8178-471: Was born in Sangano , Chiradzulu District , in the south of what became Nyasaland, in June 1871. Joseph Booth also stated that Chilembwe's father was a Yao and his mother a Mang'anja slave, captured in warfare. This information was contemporary; in the 1990s, John Chilembwe's granddaughter stated that Chilembwe's father may have been called Kaundama, and was one of those who settled at Mangochi Hill during

8272-522: Was extended as far as Buchanan, Virginia in 1851, but never reached a tributary of the Ohio River as originally planned. Lynchburg's population exceeded 6,000 by 1840, and a water works system was built. Floods in 1842 and 1847 wreaked havoc with the canal and towpath. Both were repaired. Town businessmen began to lobby for a railroad, but Virginia's General Assembly refused to fund such construction. In 1848 civic boosters began selling subscriptions for

8366-638: Was introduced, and especially in 1912 and 1913 after a Mozambique famine in 1912. In 1912, the Colonial Office described them as working for such low wages as were "a record for any settled part of Africa". Many of those convicted after the rising were identified as "Anguru". Conditions on the estates where the "Anguru" became tenants were generally poor, and Africans both on estates and Crown Lands were subjected to an increase in Hut tax in 1912, despite food shortages. Chilembwe's Providence Industrial Mission

8460-456: Was named for its founder, John Lynch . When about 17 years old, Lynch started a ferry service at a ford across the James River to carry traffic to and from New London , where his parents had settled. The "City of Seven Hills" quickly developed along the hills surrounding Lynch's Ferry. In 1786, Virginia's General Assembly recognized Lynchburg, the settlement by Lynch's Ferry on the James River. The James River Company had been incorporated

8554-546: Was no mass support for the rising. The attack on European estates was largely one on the Bruce estates, where William Jervis Livingstone was killed and beheaded and two other European employees killed. Three African men were also killed by the rebels; a European-run mission was set on fire, a missionary was severely wounded and a girl died in the fire. Apart from this girl, all the dead and injured were men, as Chilembwe had ordered that women should not be harmed. On 24 January, which

8648-524: Was situated in an area dominated by the Magomero estate of A. L. Bruce Estates , named after a son-in-law of David Livingstone . From 1906, A. L. Bruce Estates developed and started to plant a hardy variety of cotton suitable for the Shire Highlands. Cotton required intensive labour over a long growing period, and the estate manager William Jervis Livingstone (reputed to be a distant relative of David Livingstone) ensured that 5,000 workers were available on

8742-465: Was strongly influenced by Millennialism , but the extent to which he retained influence over Chilembwe after 1902 or influenced him towards millennial beliefs is disputed, although Booth later strongly influenced Elliot Kenan Kamwana , the first leader of the Watchtower followers of Charles Taze Russell in Nyasaland. In 1897 Booth and Chilembwe traveled together to the United States. Because of

8836-488: Was used as the bed for laying the rails of the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad , a project conceived five decades earlier. The city limits expanded in 1874. In 1881 that railroad was completed to Lynchburg, and another railroad reached it through the Shenandoah Valley . Lynchburg had a telegraph, about 15,000 residents, and the beginnings of a streetcar system. Many citizens, believing their city crowded enough, did not join

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