The Fifth Virginia Convention was a meeting of the Patriot legislature of Virginia held in Williamsburg from May 6 to July 5, 1776. This Convention declared Virginia an independent state and produced its first constitution and the Virginia Declaration of Rights .
133-714: The previous Fourth Virginia Convention had taken place in Williamsburg , in December 1775. In Philadelphia , the Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington commander of the Continental Army troops that then surrounded Boston , and Virginia patriots defeated an advancing British force at the Battle of Great Bridge southeast of Norfolk . The newly elected delegates to
266-471: A Committee of Safety to govern as an executive body in the absence of the royal governor (Dunmore). Members of the committee were Edmund Pendleton, George Mason , John Page , Richard Bland , Thomas Ludwell Lee , Paul Carrington , Dudley Digges , William Cabell , Carter Braxton , James Mercer , and John Tabb. The convention also divided Virginia into 16 military districts and resolved to raise regular regiments. The convention ended August 26, 1775, while
399-533: A Unionist speech. He defended Virginia's institutions from Northern attacks against slavery, but "there is no constitutional right of secession ..." He warned that secession would bring about war, taxes and the abolition of slavery in Virginia. John S. Barbour Jr. of the Piedmont's Culpeper County was the first Unionist to break away into the secessionist camp. While "resolutely protecting slave labor" he
532-455: A common flag were drawn up following the union of the two Crowns in 1603, but were rarely, if ever, used. One version showed St George's cross with St Andrew's cross in the canton, and another version placed the two crosses side by side. A painted wooden ceiling boss from Linlithgow Palace , dated to about 1617, depicts the Scottish royal unicorn holding a flag where a blue Saltire surmounts
665-593: A deliberate insult. In the case of the Union Flag, the difference is subtle and is easily missed by the uninformed. It is often displayed upside down inadvertently—even on commercially-made hand waving flags. On 3 February 2009, the BBC reported that the flag had been inadvertently flown upside-down by the UK government at the signing of a trade agreement with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao . The error had been spotted by readers of
798-504: A former delegate to the 1861 Secessionist Convention. Progressives sought to reform corrupt political practices of the ruling Martin machine and to regulate railroads and big corporations. Martin delegates agreed to restrict suffrage of African-Americans and illiterate whites, and a State Corporation Commission was established. When the railroads challenged the State Corporation Commission's constitutionality on
931-497: A generic form for a man in general. The two were combined in the Middle Dutch Janke , whence Middle French Jakke and Middle English Jack . Jack came to be used to identify all manner of particularly small objects or small versions of larger ones. The OED has definition 21 "Something insignificant, or smaller than the normal size" and gives examples from 1530 to 2014 of this usage. Further examples in
1064-610: A government minister stated, in response to a parliamentary question, that "the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag". Notwithstanding Their Lordships' circular of 1902, by 1913 the Admiralty described the "Union Flag" and added in a footnote that 'A Jack is a Flag to be flown only on the "Jack" Staff'. However, the authoritative A Complete Guide to Heraldry published in 1909 by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies uses
1197-551: A mixture of Governor-appointed constitutional commissions in 1927 and 1968, and limited constitutional conventions called by the General Assembly for very specific purpose. After the century's earliest convention disenfranchising voters in a constitution that was proclaimed, each modification of the Virginia Constitution has been sent to the voters for referendum approval. Virginia's women suffrage movement
1330-680: A more equitable representation between east and west. The Convention delegates were a younger generation raised in the Second American Party System of Democrat Jefferson Davis and Whig Henry Clay . Unlike the three generation Convention of 1829–30, the delegates were primarily in their twenties and thirties at the beginning of their careers in the professions and industry, without large land holdings, and without gentry family ties. The Convention met from October 14, 1850 – August 1, 1851, and elected John Y. Mason its presiding officer. The Convention featured fierce debates;
1463-870: A number of men as may be sufficient for that purpose." Between conventions in April 1775, Randolph, who was both the Speaker of the House of Burgesses and President of the Virginia Conventions, negotiated with Lord Dunmore for gunpowder removed from the Williamsburg arsenal to HMS Magdalen during the Gunpowder Incident , which was a confrontation between the Governor's forces and Virginia militia, led by Patrick Henry. The House of Burgesses
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#17327649047411596-571: A precursor to the United States Bill of Rights . On June 29, the convention approved the first Constitution of Virginia . The convention chose Patrick Henry as the first governor of the new Commonwealth of Virginia, and he was inaugurated on June 29, 1776. Thus, Virginia had a functioning republican constitution before July 4, 1776. The Constitutional Convention convened by the Articles of Confederation Congress in 1787 provided for
1729-539: A ratification process in the states that was duly transmitted by Congress to each state. As Virginians went to the polls to elect delegates to its state convention, six states had ratified including the two other largest states of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. But Virginia bisected the new nation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River; its admission into the prospective union was critical if
1862-531: A ratio of 1:2. In the United Kingdom, land flags are normally a ratio of 3:5; the Union Jack can also be made in this shape, but is 1:2 for most purposes. In 2008, MP Andrew Rosindell proposed a Ten Minute Rule bill to standardise the design of the flag at 3:5, but the bill did not proceed past the first reading. The three-component crosses that make up the Union Jack are sized as follows: The crosses and fimbriations retain their thickness relative to
1995-546: A ratio of 3:5 as the suitable proportion for a Union Flag flown on land. The King's Harbour Master's flag, like the Pilot Jack, is a 1:2 flag that contains a white-bordered Union Flag that is longer than 1:2. The jacks of ships flying variants of the Blue Ensign are square and have a square Union Flag in the canton. The King's Colours of Army regiments are 36 by 43 inches (910 mm × 1,090 mm); on them,
2128-686: A recommendation for a Bill of Rights , and Madison subsequently led the First Congress to send the Bill of Rights to the states for ratification. Patrick Henry questioned the authority of the Philadelphia Convention to presume to speak for "We, the people" instead of "We, the states". In his view, delegates should have only recommended amendments to the Articles of Confederation. Edmund Randolph had changed from his opposition in
2261-571: A set of three resolutions: one calling for a declaration of rights for Virginia, one calling for the establishment of a republican constitution, and a third calling for federal relations with whichever other colonies would have them and alliances with whichever foreign countries would have them. It also instructed its delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to declare independence. Virginia's congressional delegation
2394-542: A small jack became known as the "Union Jack" and this later term transferred to more general usage of the Union Flag. Also later a short flagpole was placed in the bows of a ship to fly the jack, this became known as the jackstaff . According to the Flag Institute , a membership-run vexillological charity, "the national flag of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories
2527-510: A year with a call for 75,000 for three months , including 3,500 Virginians to restore Federal property taken in the South by force. But the Unionist bloc lost its Conditional Unionist faction with Lincoln's requisition of troops. The next day, former Governor Henry Wise announced that he had set the "wheels of revolution" against the U.S. Government in motion with loyal Virginians seizing both
2660-523: Is known as the Royal Union Flag . However, it is commonly referred to in Canada as the Union Jack. It is sometimes asserted that the term Union Jack properly refers only to naval usage, but this assertion was dismissed by the Flag Institute in 2013 after historical investigations. The origins of the earlier flag of Great Britain date from 1606. King James VI of Scotland had inherited
2793-494: Is the Union Flag, which may also be called the Union Jack." The institute has also stated: it is often stated that the Union Flag should only be described as the Union Jack when flown in the bows of a warship, but this is a relatively recent idea. From early in its life the Admiralty itself frequently referred to the flag as the Union Jack, whatever its use, and in 1902 an Admiralty circular announced that Their Lordships had decided that either name could be used officially. In 1908,
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#17327649047412926-538: The Almanac , neither the Union Flag nor the Union Jack are included pictorially or mentioned by name. For comparison with another anglophone country with a large navy, jack of the United States specifically refers to the flag flown from the jackstaff of a warship, auxiliary or other U.S. governmental entity. The Butcher's Apron is a pejorative term for the flag, common among Irish republicans , citing
3059-648: The Battle of Great Bridge southeast of Norfolk in December. The newly elected Fifth Convention met in Williamsburg from May 6 to July 5, 1776. It elected Edmund Pendleton its presiding officer after his return as president of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. There were three parties in the Fifth Convention. The first was mainly made up of wealthy planters, including Robert Carter Nicholas Sr. The second party
3192-493: The Declaration of Independence from King George III . It dominated the convention by a malapportionment that lent an advantage to the slaveholding east. This party likely ensured the continuation of slavery at a time when other states had already begun ending it with gradual emancipation . It ensured the continued self-perpetuating gentry rule of county government with a franchise limited by property requirements underpinning
3325-794: The King's Proclamation of Rebellion had declared the colonies outside his protection, but throughout the first four Virginia Conventions, there was no adopted expression in favor of independence from the British Empire. By the new year of 1776, George Washington, a delegate in the Virginia Convention and in the Continental Congress, had been appointed in Philadelphia from the First Continental Congress as commander of Continental troops surrounding Boston. Virginia patriots had defeated an advancing British force at
3458-571: The Progressive Democrats seeking to expand the influence of the "better sort" of voters gained a majority by appealing to the electorate to overthrow the 1868 Underwood Constitution, which the Richmond Dispatch characterized as "that miserable apology to organic law which was forced upon Virginians by carpetbaggers , scalawags and Negroes supported by Federal bayonets ". In May 1900, the increasing public dismay over
3591-403: The flag of Scotland , a white saltire (X-shaped cross, or St Andrew's Cross) on a blue background, would be joined, forming the flag of England and Scotland for maritime purposes. The present design of the flag dates from a royal proclamation following the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The flag combines aspects of three older national flags: the red cross of St George for
3724-468: The proclamation of King James I in 1606, it became known simply as the "British flag" or the "flag of Britain". The royal proclamation gave no distinctive name to the new flag. At the funeral of King James in 1625 the flag was called the "Banner of the Union of the two Crosses of England and Scotland". The word jack was in use before 1600 to describe the maritime bow flag . By 1627 a small Union Jack
3857-442: The Articles of Confederation government were inadequate in the long run, both with the ancients and with the modern (1700s) Germans, Dutch and Swiss. They brought "anarchy and confusion", disharmony and foreign invasion. Efficient government can only come from direct operation on individuals, it can never flow from negotiations among a confederation's constituent states. The Virginia Ratification (Federal) Convention narrowly ratified
3990-474: The Assembly to initiate a constitutional convention ten times. Malapportionment in the Assembly was seen by reformers as "an usurpation of the minority over the majority" by the slave-owning eastern aristocracy. Partisans argued for apportionment by white population, versus "federal numbers" combining white population with three-fifths slaves, versus the existing system counting whites and slaves equally to favor
4123-627: The BBC News website who had contacted the BBC after seeing a photograph of the event. In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the Kingdom of England (and the newly created client state , the Kingdom of Ireland ) as James I, thereby uniting the crowns in a personal union . With Wales annexed into the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 , James now ruled over all of
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4256-486: The Capitol Building, and elected John C. Underwood its presiding officer. A convention of enfranchised Unionists, freedmen and ex-Confederates was dominated by Radical Republicans. The convention proposed two "obnoxious clauses" that provoked widespread opposition, meant to restrict suffrage among ex-Confederates. Negotiations with President Grant resulted in separating the two more controversial proposals, and
4389-566: The Committee of Safety would continue to meet and govern between Convention sessions. On November 7, 1775 in Dunmore's Proclamation , Lord Dunmore instituted martial law and offered freedom to enslaved persons who joined the British army. The Royal Ethiopian Regiment was organized. The Fourth Convention in Williamsburg met in December 1775 following November's declaration that the colony
4522-583: The Constitution of the United States." But Jacob N. Liggett of Rockingham County voiced the ex-Confederate doctrine that "the Federal Government is the creature of the acts of the States." Christopher Y. Thomas of Henry County proposed a compromise, to simply assert Article VI of the U.S. Constitution for Virginia's Bill of Rights, Section 2, that "the Constitution of the United States, and
4655-490: The Constitution. While the referendum on the main body of the Constitution was overwhelmingly approved, the two "obnoxious clauses" were defeated by a narrower margin. After the end of Reconstruction in the 1870s, Virginia and other states of the former Confederacy restricted the suffrage by segregationist Jim Crow laws. By 1890 Southern states began to hold conventions that constitutionally removed large numbers of whites and most blacks from voter registration. Reformers among
4788-686: The Continental Congress in Philadelphia to declare independence. On June 7, Richard Henry Lee , one of Virginia's delegates to Congress, carried out the instructions to propose independence in the language the convention had commanded him to use: that "these colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." The resolution was followed in Congress by the adoption of the American Declaration of Independence , which reflected its ideas. The convention amended, and on June 12 adopted, George Mason 's Declaration of Rights ,
4921-555: The Continental Congress). The House of Burgesses rejected the proposal, which was also later rejected by the Continental Congress. The Third Convention met on July 17, 1775, also at St. John's Church, after Lord Dunmore had fled the capital (following the rejection of North's resolution) and taken refuge on a British warship. Peyton Randolph continued to serve as the President of the convention. The convention created
5054-472: The Convention into a "Spontaneous Southern Rights Convention" to immediately install a secessionist government in Virginia, but on April 4, almost two-thirds of the Convention voted against secession, and a three-man delegation was sent to consult with Lincoln who had resolved to protect Federal property in the South. With the fall of Fort Sumter, Lincoln matched Jefferson Davis' call up of 100,000 men for
5187-450: The Convention resolved to abolish slavery immediately without compensation on April 10, 1864. It abolished the viva voce voting and called for secret balloting for electing state officials. Immediately on its proclamation, the Constitution of 1864 was enforceable only in areas under Union control, but it would serve as Virginia's fundamental law until the Constitution of 1870 went into force. A fifty-two-page journal of convention proceedings
5320-482: The English and Irish thrones in 1603 as James I, thereby uniting the crowns of England , Scotland , and Ireland in a personal union , although the three kingdoms remained separate states. On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England , a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross , and
5453-462: The English crown passed to the next available heir, her cousin James VI, King of Scotland . England and Scotland now shared the same monarch under what was known as a union of the crowns." Each kingdom had its own national flag for ships, but in 1606 James VI and I introduced a combined national flag. The UK Parliament website states "The result was the Union Jack, Jack being a shortening of Jacobus,
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5586-571: The Fifth Virginia Convention re-elected Edmund Pendleton as its president on his return from Philadelphia as presiding officer of the First Continental Congress . The membership could be thought of as belonging to one of three groups: radicals from western Virginia, who had agitated for independence from Britain even before 1775; philosophers of the American Enlightenment ; and wealthy planters, largely from
5719-422: The General Assembly failed by two votes. The extension of the vote to all free white males failed by two votes. When the popular election of governor passed on its first vote, it failed on reconsideration. The divisions which would lead to West Virginia's split were evident. Regardless of the various ideologies represented or delegate political affiliation, the final vote 55 for the proposed constitution to 40 against
5852-783: The General Government would sustain the civil authority, or "whether the civil is to become, as it is now, subordinate to the military", so that the convened delegates could support the Administration's war effort in the midst of Grant's Wilderness Campaign. Debate ensued over whether to seek to disenfranchise all supporters of the rebellion, but with an eye to governing after cessation of hostilities, it limited disenfranchisement only to those who had held office in rebel state or Confederate governments. After debating whether abolition of slavery would best proceed gradually or at once, with compensation to loyal Union men or without,
5985-571: The King: Whereas, some differences hath arisen between Our subjects of South and North Britaine travelling by Seas, about the bearing of their Flagges: For the avoiding of all contentions hereafter. We have, with the advice of our Council, ordered: That from henceforth all our Subjects of this Isle and Kingdome of Great Britaine, and all our members thereof, shall beare in their main-toppe the Red Crosse, commonly called St George's Crosse, and
6118-575: The Kingdom of England, the white saltire of St Andrew for the Kingdom of Scotland and the red saltire of St Patrick to represent Ireland . Although the Republic of Ireland is no longer part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland is. There are no symbols representing Wales in the flag, making Wales the only home nation with no direct representation, as at the time of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 (creating legal union with England)
6251-683: The Latin version of James". The etymology of jack in the context of flagstaffs reaches back to Middle German. The suffix -kin was used in Middle Dutch and Middle German as a diminutive . Examples occur in both Chaucer and Langland though the form is unknown in Old English. John is a common male forename (going back to the Bible), appearing in Dutch as Jan . Both languages use it as
6384-510: The Philadelphia Convention to now supporting adoption for the sake of preserving the Union. He noted that the Confederation was "totally inadequate". George Mason countered that a national, consolidated government would overburden Virginians with direct taxes in addition to state taxes, and that government of an extensive territory must necessarily destroy liberty. Madison pointed out that the history of Confederations like that provided in
6517-627: The President of the convention (a position he held for subsequent conventions until his death in October 1775). The Second Convention met in Richmond at St. John's Episcopal Church on March 20, 1775. Delegates again chose a presiding officer and they elected delegates to the Continental Congress. At the convention, Patrick Henry proposed arming the Virginia militia and delivered his "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech to rally support for
6650-657: The Radical Reconstruction Acts, a rebelling state which had vacated its delegation in the U.S. Congress was required to incorporate the 14th Amendment into its state constitution before it was allowed to participate again. By the time Schofield called a new state constitutional convention for 1868, three distinct parties had coalesced in Virginia. Radical Republicans , including most ex-slave freedmen, organized to advocate full political and social equality for blacks, but they wanted to exclude ex-Confederates from political participation either in government or at
6783-613: The Richmond Secession Convention in which he had been an Unconditional Unionist. "For several days before the Convention passed the Ordinance of Secession, it was absolutely besieged; members were threatened with being hung to the lamp posts; their lives were jeopardized; the mob was marching up and down the streets, and surrounding the Capitol, and everything was terror and dismay." Carlile continued to impeach
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#17327649047416916-664: The Richmond Secession Convention, was the floor leader at the Second Wheeling Convention who shepherded in the creation of the Restored Virginia Government. On June 14 he expanded on his view of state and federal relations, " the people of Virginia in establishing government for themselves deemed it best to create two agents. The Federal Government is one, and the State Government is the other ..." Referencing Article VI of
7049-552: The Second Wheeling Convention met from August 6 to August 21 to call for a new state from the territory of Virginia to be named Kanawha . The Second Wheeling Convention included 32 western counties, Alexandria and Fairfax County . Twenty-nine of the convention delegates were members of the Virginia General Assembly as state Delegates or state Senators, such as John J.Davis of Harrison County and Lewis Ruffner of Kanawha County . John S. Carlile who had represented transmontane Harrison County as an Unconditional Unionist at
7182-430: The U.S. Constitution 89 to 79. Virginians reserved the right to withdraw from the new government as "the People of the United States", "whenever the powers granted unto it should be perverted to their injury or oppression," but it also held that failings in the constitution should be remedied by amendment. Unlike the Pennsylvania Convention where the Federalists railroaded the Anti-federalists in an all or nothing choice, in
7315-404: The U.S. Constitution, Carlile observed, "Any act done or performed by the State agent in conflict with the powers conferred upon the Federal agent is to be null and void ... [the Constitution] provides for its own alteration, amendment or change ... But [the right of secession] was never intended ..." On June 17, Carlile attacked the rebellion as treason, he then accounted events at
7448-411: The Union Jack from over the colonial capitol and running up a continental union flag, keeping the Union Jack of the British Empire in the canton and adding the thirteen red and white stripes of the self-governing East India Company . On June 7, Richard Henry Lee , one of Virginia's delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia , carried out the instructions to propose independence in
7581-400: The Union Jack" nor any pendants or colours used by the King's ships. Reinforcing the distinction the King's proclamation of the same day concerning the arms and flag of the United Kingdom (not colours at sea) called the new flag "the Union Flag". The size and power of the Royal Navy internationally at the time could also explain why the flag was named the "Union Jack"; considering the navy
7714-478: The Union Jack, ..." and later: "8. The Jack – A small flag worn on a jackstaff on the stem of Naval Vessels. The Royal Navy wears the Union Flag ... This is the only occasion when it correct to describe the flag as the Union Jack". However, this assertion does not appear in any Reed's Nautical Almanac since 1993. In the 2016 Reed's Nautical Almanac , the only entry where this might appear, section 5.21, covering Flag Etiquette, does not include this statement. Within
7847-441: The Union Jack. Many of these flags are blue or red ensigns with the Union Jack in the canton and defaced with the distinguishing arms of the territory. The governors of British Overseas Territories and the Australian states, as well as the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia also have personal standards that incorporate the Union Jack in their design. The terms Union Jack and Union Flag are both used historically for describing
7980-417: The Union only if Lincoln made no move at "coercion", and those who would later be called Unconditional Unionists who would be unwavering in their loyalty to the constitutional government of the United States. The Convention met from February 3 – December 6, 1861, and elected John Janney its presiding officer. The majority at first voted to remain in the Union, but stayed in session awaiting events. At first,
8113-405: The United Kingdom on 1 January 1801, reads: the Union flag shall be azure, the crosses-saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick quartered per saltire counter changed argent and gules; the latter fimbriated of the second [viz., argent]; surmounted by the cross of St. George of the third [viz., gules], fimbriated as the saltire [viz., argent]. The Union Jack is normally twice as long as it is tall,
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#17327649047418246-454: The United States and form the Confederate States of America . The Virginia Assembly called a special convention for the sole purpose of considering secession from the United States. Virginia was deeply divided, returning a convention of delegates amounting to about one-third for secession and two thirds Unionist. But the Unionists would prove to be further divided between those who would be labelled Conditional Unionists who would favor Virginia in
8379-401: The United States as a nation-state were to have contiguous continental territory. The Convention met from June 2–27, 1788, in the wooden "Old Capitol" building at Richmond VA, and elected Edmund Pendleton its presiding officer. The Virginia Ratifying Convention narrowly approved joining the proposed United States under a constitution of supreme national law as authorized by "We, the people" of
8512-462: The United States. James Madison led those in favor, Patrick Henry, delegate to the First Continental Convention and Revolutionary wartime governor, led those opposed. Governor Edmund Randolph, who had refused to sign the U.S. Constitution, now chose to support adoption for the sake of national unity. George Mason who had refused to sign the U.S. Constitution due to the lack of a Bill of Rights continued in his opposition. The Virginia ratification included
8645-534: The Virginia Convention of 1776 – elected in 1776 (One hundred and thirty-two members, two from each county, and one each from the Boroughs of Jamestown, Williamsburg, Norfolk, and the College of William and Mary) Fourth Virginia Convention The Virginia Conventions were assemblies of delegates elected for the purpose of establishing constitutions of fundamental law for the Commonwealth of Virginia superior to General Assembly legislation. Their constitutions and subsequent amendments span four centuries across
8778-473: The Virginia Convention the Federalists made efforts to reconcile with the Anti-federalists by recommending amendments to the Federal Constitution like that of Virginia's Bill of Rights preamble to its 1776 Constitution. Almost immediately, the Constitution of 1776 was recognized as flawed both for its restriction of the suffrage by property requirements, and for its malapportionment favoring the smaller eastern counties. Between 1801 and 1813, petitioners called on
8911-581: The White Crosse, commonly called St Andrew's Crosse, joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds, and sent by Us to our Admerall to be published to our Subjects: and in their fore-toppe our Subjects of South Britaine shall weare the Red Crosse onely as they were wont, and our Subjects of North Britaine in their fore-toppe the White Crosse onely as they were accustomed. This royal flag was, at first, to be used only at sea on civil and military ships of both England and Scotland, whereas land forces continued to use their respective national banners. Flying
9044-437: The Wolfe Tones has a song entitled "The Butcher's Apron" which makes reference to the term. In the Chinese language , the flag has the nickname Rice-Character Flag ( 米字旗 ; Mandarin Pinyin : mǐzìqí , Cantonese Jyutping : mai5zi6kei4 ), since the pattern looks like the Chinese character for "rice" ( 米 ). The current flag's design has been in use since 1801. Its original blazon , as decreed by George III of
9177-405: The arguments raged throughout Virginia in the press and they were widely reported nationally. Direct popular election of the governor was supported by Whig Congressman John Minor Botts . He was opposed by Richmond Junto Democrat Richard L.T. Beale who argued against the natural equality of all men, and the "plundering propensities" of the multitude seeking a "majority of mere numbers". Although he
9310-422: The armed forces in wartime, and in 1955 to implement " massive resistance " to Supreme Court attempts to desegregate public schools. Alternatives to the conventions used commissions for constitutional reform in 1927 for restructuring state government and in 1969 to conform the state constitution with congressional statutes of the Voting Rights Act and U.S. Constitutional law. Each of these 20th century recommendations
9443-407: The arms and flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: And that the Union Flag shall be Azure, the Crosses Saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick Quarterly per Saltire, counterchanged Argent and Gules; the latter fimbriated of the Second, surmounted by the Cross of St. George of the Third, fimbriated as the Saltire : ... When the first flag representing Britain was introduced on
9576-432: The ballot box. Moderate Unionists including many pre-war Whigs, sought political equality for blacks, but believed that ex-Confederates had to be included in the political community because of their majority in the white population. Conservatives wanted to ensure white control of the state without Radical influence on issues such as public education. The convention met from December 3, 1867, to April 17, 1868, at Richmond in
9709-638: The bars of the cross and saltire are of equal width; so are their respective fimbriations, which are very narrow. In South Africa, the Union Jacks flown alongside the National Flag between 1928 and 1957 were 2:3 flags. Although the official design of the flag at the College of Arms does not specify colours beyond azure , argent and gules (blue, white and red, respectively), according to Graham Bartram (chief vexillologist of Flag Institute )
9842-700: The basis of durability.) In 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament recommended that the flag of Scotland use a lighter " royal " blue (Pantone 300) (the Office of the Lord Lyon does not detail specific shades of colour for use in heraldry). A thin white stripe, or fimbriation , separates the red cross from the blue field, in accordance with heraldry's rule of tincture where colours (like red and blue) must be separated from each other by metals (like white, i.e. argent or silver). The blazon for
9975-548: The blood-streaked appearance of the flag and referring to atrocities committed in Ireland and other countries under British colonial rule. In 2006, Sandra White , a Member of the Scottish Parliament , caused a furore when the term was used in a press release under her name. It was later blamed on the actions of a researcher, who resigned yet claimed that the comment had been approved by White. The Irish folk band
10108-479: The blue field used on land-based versions more closely resembled that of the blue of the flag of Scotland. Various shades of blue have been used in the saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep " navy " blue ( Pantone 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the Blue Ensign of the Royal Navy 's historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on maritime flags on
10241-618: The colony, moved to Raleigh Tavern to continue meeting. The Burgesses declared support for Massachusetts and called for a congress of all the colonies, the Continental Congress . The Burgesses, convened as the First Convention, met on August 1, 1774, and elected officers, banned commerce and payment of debts with Britain, and pledged supplies. They elected Peyton Randolph , the Speaker of the House of Burgesses , as
10374-509: The colours blue, red, and white are: All HEX , CMYK and RGB specifications for the Pantone colours are taken from the official Pantone website on the webpages of the corresponding colours. Although these colour specifications are official, not all of the colours are completely congruent. This is due to different specifications for different types of media (for example, screen and print). The flag does not have reflection symmetry due to
10507-462: The compounds section at 2b illustrate this. The original maritime flag use of jack was "A ship's flag of a smaller size than the ensign, used at sea as a signal, or as an identifying device". The jack was flown in the bows or from the head of the spritsail mast to indicate the vessel's nationality: "You are alsoe for this present service to keepe in yo Jack at yo Boultspritt end and yo Pendant and yo Ordinance" The Union Flag when instantiated as
10640-478: The concept of national flags was in its infancy. The Welsh Dragon was, however, adopted as a supporter in the royal coat of arms of England used by the Tudor dynasty from 1485. The flags of British Overseas Territories , as well as certain sovereign states and regions that were previously British possessions , incorporate the Union Jack into their own flag designs or have official flags that are derived from
10773-407: The convention approved the first Constitution of Virginia . The convention selected Patrick Henry as the first governor of the new Commonwealth of Virginia , and Henry was inaugurated as governor on June 29, 1776, allowing Virginia to establish a functioning republican constitution a few days before the Second Continental Congress declared their independence on July 4, 1776. The delegates to
10906-614: The convention were sitting judges or members of the Virginia General Assembly. Conservatives among the Old Republicans such as John Randolph of Roanoke feared any change from the Founders' 1776 Constitution would lead to an ideological anarchy of "wild abstractions" imposed by egalitarian "French Jacobins" through "this maggot of innovation". In answer, John Marshall advanced his view with a petition from
11039-602: The east. A malapportionment of delegates granted disproportionate influence to this latter group. The Convention convened from May 6 to July 5, 1776, at the colonial capitol in Williamsburg . It elected Edmund Pendleton its presiding officer after his return as president of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia . There were three parties in the Fifth Convention. The first was mainly made up of wealthy planters, who sought to continue their hold on local government as it had grown up during colonial Virginia's history. These included Robert Carter Nicholas Sr. , who opposed
11172-488: The electoral fraud and corruption of the Democratic political machine under the control of U.S. Senator Thomas S. Martin manipulating poor white and black voters led to a narrow victory over his entrenched "court house crowd" in a referendum to call a constitutional convention. The convention met from June 12, 1901, to June 26, 1902, at Richmond in the Capitol Building and elected John Goode Jr. its presiding officer,
11305-562: The end of this letter was deliberately facetious, teasing her for going down-market, and in the accompanying letter he wrote, "Your title 'The Anglo Saxon' with its motto 'Blood is thicker than water' only needs the Union Jack & the Star Spangled Banner crossed on the cover to be suited to one of Harmsworth 's cheap Imperialist productions." More recently, Reed's Nautical Almanac (1990 edition) unambiguously stated: "The Union Flag, frequently but incorrectly referred to as
11438-582: The federal Harper's Ferry Armory and the Gosport Navy Yard at Norfolk. His exhortation resulted in a resolution to secede with a vote 88 for, 55 against. The Virginia Secession Ordinance was to "repeal the ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America, by the State of Virginia." Two days after the secession resolution and a month before the referendum, the Confederate flag
11571-487: The flag was in a parallel proclamation on 1 January 1801, concerning civil naval ensigns, which drawing shows the red ensign (also to be used as a red jack by privateers ). As it appears in the London Gazette , the broad stripe is where expected for three of the four quarters, but the upper left quarter shows the broad stripe below. It is often stated that a flag upside down is a form of distress signal or even
11704-412: The flag's height whether they are shown with a ratio of 3:5 or 1:2. Height here is the distance from top to bottom which in vexillology is termed width or breadth . The Admiralty in 1864 settled all official flags at proportions of 1:2, but the relative widths of the crosses remained unspecified, with the above conventions becoming standardised in the 20th century. In the 19th century, the Union flag
11837-486: The freeholders of Richmond which observed that, "Virtue, intelligence, are not among the products of the soil. Attachment to [slave] property, often a sordid sentiment, is not to be confounded with the sacred flame of patriots." Any white male who had served in the War of 1812 or who would serve in the militia in their future defense of the country deserved the right to vote. Reformers' efforts to adopt direct popular election of
11970-522: The government of Virginia as "formerly exercised" by King George in Parliament was "totally dissolved". The Convention adopted a set of three resolutions: one calling for a declaration of rights for Virginia, one calling for the establishment of a republican constitution, and a third calling for federal relations with whichever other colonies would have them and alliances with whichever foreign countries would have them. It also instructed its delegates to
12103-488: The governor were defeated in favor of continuing election by the General Assembly. Thomas Jefferson Randolph , Thomas Jefferson's grandson, proposed gradual emancipation, a suggestion which never made it out of committee onto the convention floor . The reformers lost on almost every issue. Nevertheless, even with the exaggerated Virginia Senate representation apportioning the delegates, the three most important roll calls were close. The "white" population basis of apportioning
12236-559: The grounds it violated separation of powers, the commission was upheld in the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals . The convention imposed a system of poll taxes along with literacy and understanding requirements to vote that had the effect of restricting the electorate. The outcome was almost immediate disenfranchising of blacks and half the previous number of whites voting. Following the unlimited Convention of 1901–02, twentieth century constitutional activity turned to
12369-429: The hoist is on the observer's left. To fly the flag correctly, the white of St Andrew is above the red of St Patrick in the upper hoist canton (the quarter at the top nearest to the flag-pole). This is expressed by the phrases wide white top and broadside up . An upside-down flag must be turned over to be flown correctly; rotating it 180 degrees will still result in an upside-down flag. The first drawn pattern for
12502-579: The island of Great Britain , which he frequently described as a unified kingdom (though the parliaments of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland did not actually unify until the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed in 1707). In the wake of the 1603 personal union, several designs for a new flag were drawn up, juxtaposing the Saint George's Cross and the St Andrew's Saltire , but none were acceptable to James: Various other designs for
12635-476: The jack flag, after three centuries, it is now sanctioned by use and has appeared in official use, confirmed as the national flag by Parliament and remains the popular term. Winston Churchill , British Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, referred to the flag of the United Kingdom as the Union Jack. In March 1899, Churchill wrote to his mother from India about her plans to produce a new trans-Atlantic magazine, to be called The Anglo-Saxon Review . The drawing at
12768-420: The language the convention had commanded him to use: that "these colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." The resolution was followed in Congress by the adoption of the American Declaration of Independence , which reflected its ideas. The convention amended, and on June 12 adopted, George Mason 's Declaration of Rights , a precursor to the United States Bill of Rights . On June 29,
12901-604: The laws of Congress passed in pursuance thereof, constitute the supreme law of the land, to which paramount allegiance and obedience are due from every citizen ..." That was not enough for the Radical majority. Linus M. Nickerson of Fairfax County who had served in a New York infantry regiment successfully added "this State shall ever remain a member of the United States of America ... and that all attempts from whatever source, or upon whatever pretext, to dissolve said Union ... are unauthorized, and ought to be resisted with
13034-698: The legitimacy of Virginia's referendum on secession. Republican Francis H. Pierpont of Marion County was elected by the convention as Governor of the Restored Government of Virginia which was recognized by the Lincoln Administration. Unlike in Kentucky and Missouri, the Union armies were unable to reclaim most of the eastern Virginia counties for incorporation into the Restored Government by 1863, and West Virginia
13167-464: The measure. It was resolved that the colony be "put into a posture of defence: and that Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee , Robert Carter Nicholas , Benjamin Harrison , Lemuel Riddick, George Washington , Adam Stephen , Andrew Lewis , William Christian , Edmund Pendleton , Thomas Jefferson and Isaac Zane , Esquires, be a committee to prepare a plan for the embodying arming and disciplining such
13300-630: The national flag at the mainmast had signified the Admiral of the Narrow Seas (the English Channel ) and confusion arose. In 1634, King Charles I restricted its use to Royal Navy ships. After the Acts of Union 1707 , the flag gained a regularised status as "the ensign armorial of the Kingdom of Great Britain ", the newly created state. It was then adopted by land forces as well, although
13433-538: The national flag of the United Kingdom. According to the website of the Parliament of the United Kingdom : "Until the early 17th century England and Scotland were two entirely independent kingdoms (Wales had been annexed into the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 .). This changed dramatically in 1603 on the death of Elizabeth I of England . Because the Queen died unmarried and childless,
13566-528: The old union flag, to be compared with the current flag, is azure, the cross saltire of St Andrew argent surmounted by the Cross of St George gules, fimbriated of the second. The Kingdom of Ireland , which had existed as a personal union with England since 1541, was unrepresented in the original versions of the Union Jack. However, the flag of the Protectorate from 1658 to 1660 was inescutcheoned with
13699-450: The red cross of St. George. On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent the regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England (a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross), and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background, known as the saltire or St Andrew's Cross), would be joined together, forming the flag of Great Britain and first union flag: By
13832-475: The remaining constitution was ratified by referendum. It provided for the vote for African-Americans and public education. The convention concerned itself with federal-state relations, with the convention's Committee on the Preamble and Bill of Rights initially stating that, ""the General Government of the United States is paramount to that of an individual state, except as to rights guaranteed to each State by
13965-487: The republican form of state government. The second party was made up of the intellectuals of the Enlightenment -era lawyers, physicians, and aspiring young men. These included the older generation of George Mason , George Wythe , Edmund Pendleton , and the younger Thomas Jefferson and James Madison . The third party was a minority of young men mainly from western Virginia in present-day West Virginia . This party
14098-525: The saltires should lie; they were simply "counterchanged" and the red saltire fimbriated. Nevertheless, a convention was soon established which accords most closely with the description. The flag was deliberately designed with the Irish saltire slightly depressed at the hoist end to reflect the earlier union with Scotland, giving as it were seniority to the Saint Andrew's cross. When statically displayed,
14231-596: The slave-holding eastern counties. The Convention met from October 5, 1829 – January 15, 1830, and elected Philip Pendleton Barbour its presiding officer. The last "gathering of giants" from the Revolutionary generation included former presidents James Madison and James Monroe, and sitting Chief Justice John Marshall . But three generations were represented among those who would serve in public office including three presidents, seven U.S. senators, fifteen U.S. representatives and four governors. The other delegates to
14364-494: The slight pinwheeling of the St Patrick's and St Andrew's crosses, technically the counterchange of saltires . Thus, there is a correct side up. It is one of two national flags with two-fold rotational symmetry , symmetry group C 2 , the other being the flag of Trinidad and Tobago . The original specification of the Union Flag in the royal proclamation of 1 January 1801 did not contain a drawn pattern or express which way
14497-659: The speeches were mixed between Secessionists advocating leaving the Union, Conditional Unionists holding onto the patriotism of earlier times, and Unconditional Unionists insisting that secession was bad policy and unlawful. On March 4, Abraham Lincoln 's inauguration day, Jefferson Davis called up 100,000 militia to serve a year and sent besieging troops to surround Fort Sumter in South Carolina and Fort Pickens in Florida. That same day Waitman T. Willey from trans-Alleghany Monongalia County answered secessionists with
14630-761: The term "Union Jack". The term "Union Flag" is used in King Charles I's 1634 proclamation: ... none of Our Subjects, of any of Our Nations and Kingdoms shall from henceforth presume to carry the Union Flag in the Main top, or other part of any of their Ships (that is) St Georges cross and St Andrew's Cross joined together upon pain of Our high displeasure, but that the same Union Flag be still reserved as an ornament proper for Our own Ships and Ships in our immediate Service and Pay, and none other." and in King George III 's proclamation of 1 January 1801 concerning
14763-545: The territory of modern-day Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky . The first Virginia Conventions held during and just before the American Revolutionary War replaced the British colonial government on the authority of "the people" until the initiation of state government under the 1776 Constitution. Subsequent to joining the union of the United States in 1788, Virginia's five unlimited state constitutional conventions took place in 1829–30, 1850, around
14896-718: The time of the Civil War in 1864, 1868, and finally in 1902. These early conventions without restrictions on their jurisdiction were primarily concerned with voting rights and representation in the General Assembly. The Conventions of 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War were called in Richmond for secession and in Wheeling for government loyal to the U.S. Constitution. In the 20th century, limited state Conventions were used in 1945 to expand suffrage to members of
15029-449: The vote to any office holder in rebel government and an "iron-clad oath" testifying that a prospective voter had never "voluntarily borne arms against the United States." Following the convention, General Schofield successfully negotiated with President Ulysses S. Grant to propose the referendum on the Radical "Underwood" Constitution, but separating its two disenfranchisement "obnoxious clauses", allowing voters to decide on them apart from
15162-545: The whole power of the State." Radicals in the convention, against the protests of General Schofield, were able to martial an uncompromised majority in their desire to disenfranchise the white ex-Confederate majority in the state. Instead of the moderate Republican position limiting voter restrictions to former U.S. officeholders who had supported rebellion, they sought to guarantee a future government of Union men only. The convention wrote two "obnoxious clauses" as they were widely known, that went beyond federal requirements to deny
15295-574: Was a Unionist response to the secessionist movement in Virginia. The First Wheeling Convention meeting at Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), sat on May 13–15. It called for elections to another meeting if Virginia's Ordinance of Secession were to pass referendum. After the vote was taken on May 23, the First Session of the Second Wheeling Convention met from June 11 June 25 to establish the Restored Government of Virginia , electing Arthur I. Boreman its presiding officer. The Second Session of
15428-557: Was along an east–west divide. Only one delegate voted yes from west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Following the 1830 Constitution, Virginia began to change politically under the pressure of party competition. Though the planter elite and their representatives in the ruling Democratic "Richmond Junto" continued to resist any change, western Democrats and Whigs were more inclined to a white population basis for apportionment in their determination to expand suffrage and to find
15561-465: Was called back by Lord Dunmore one last time in June 1775 to address British Prime Minister Lord North 's Conciliatory Resolution . Randolph, who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, returned to Williamsburg to take his place as Speaker. Randolph indicated that the resolution had not been sent to the Congress (it had instead been sent to each colony individually in an attempt to divide them and bypass
15694-585: Was commonly flown in this position. One theory goes that for some years it would have been called just the "Jack", or "Jack flag", or the "King's Jack", but by 1674, while formally referred to as "His Majesty's Jack", it was commonly called the "Union Jack", and this was officially acknowledged. A proclamation issued by King George III at the time of the Union of 1801 concerned flags at sea and repeatedly referred to "Ensigns, Flags, Jacks, and Pendants" and forbade merchant vessels from wearing "Our Jack, commonly called
15827-431: Was defined by the same blazon but could vary in its geometrical proportions. Although the most common ratio is 1:2, other ratios exist. The Royal Navy's flag code book, BR20 Flags of All Nations , states that both 1:2 and 3:5 versions are official. In the 3:5 version, the innermost points of the lower left and upper right diagonals of the St Patrick's cross are cut off or truncated. The Garter King of Arms also suggests
15960-405: Was for direct election of the Governor, Henry A. Wise was more fearful of the eastern slave-holders' loss of control in the General Assembly. He believed that "protection of slavery, not the liberalizing of Virginia's Constitution, was the most significant business before the convention." After almost six months of wrangling, the question of apportionment was brought up for a vote. The compromise
16093-583: Was for encouraging manufacturing and commercial interests in Virginia against those of the North. He asked what would do more to promote Virginia's growth, participation "in a hostile confederacy in which your [legislative] power will be but 11 out of 150 [with he North], or in a friendly confederacy where it will be 21 out of 89 [with the South]?" In the South was a government to join "in full working order, strong, powerful and efficient ..." Henry A. Wise tried to move
16226-561: Was in revolt by Lord Dunmore and fighting between his royal forces and militia forces in the Hampton Roads area. Edmund Pendleton served as President of the convention, succeeding Peyton Randolph who had died in October 1775. The Convention declared that Virginians were ready to defend themselves "against every species of despotism." The convention passed another ordinance to raise additional troops. Back in Britain, in December 1775,
16359-462: Was led by Patrick Henry and others who supported independence from Britain prior to 1775. On May 15, the Convention declared that the government of Virginia as "formerly exercised" by King George III in Parliament was "totally dissolved" in light of the King's repeated injuries and his "abandoning the helm of government and declaring us out of his allegiance and protection". The Convention adopted
16492-586: Was made into its own state. Following the creation of West Virginia, the remnant of Restored Virginian government held a Convention of delegates from a few periphery counties occupied by Union forces. The Convention met in Alexandria's U.S. District Court Room from February 13 – April 11, 1864, and elected LeRoy G. Edwards, a slaveholder with three sons in the Confederacy as its presiding officer. The Convention sought direction from President Lincoln whether
16625-412: Was made up of the more intellectual types. These included the older generation of George Mason, George Wythe , Edmund Pendleton, and the younger Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The third party was a minority of young men mainly from western Virginia. This party was led by Patrick Henry and included "radicals" who had supported independence earlier than 1775. On May 15, the Convention declared that
16758-546: Was placed before the people for ratification in a referendum. The First Convention was organized after Lord Dunmore , the colony's royal governor, dissolved the House of Burgesses when that body called for a day of prayer as a show of solidarity with Boston, Massachusetts , when the British government closed the harbor under the Boston Port Act . The Burgesses, who had been elected by propertied freeholders throughout
16891-471: Was published, but the debates were not formally recorded. W. J. Cowing, secretary of the convention and editor of the pro-Union Alexandria, Virginia State Journal , featured accounts of some debate, but only one edition of the Journal survives covering the convention. During Congressional Reconstruction , U.S. General John Schofield administered Virginia as Military District One. After 1866, according to
17024-557: Was raised over Virginia's capitol building, a delegation was sent to vote in the Confederate Congress, state militias were activated and a Confederate army was invited to occupy Richmond. Though the ballots from Unionist counties were lost, the total referendum votes counted numbered more than that of the 1860 presidential election by including men voting viva voce aloud in Confederate army camps, approving secession by 128,884 to 32,134. Virginia's second Convention of 1861
17157-434: Was so widely utilised and renowned by the United Kingdom and colonies , it is possible that the term jack occurred because of its regular use on all British ships using the jackstaff (a flag pole attached to the bow of a ship). The name may alternatively come from the 'jack-et' of the English or Scottish soldiers, or from the name of James I who originated the first union in 1603. Even if the term Union Jack does derive from
17290-456: Was the only one under unconditional positive instructions to declare independence; Virginia was already independent of Parliament as the "fourth realm" of British Empire , but its convention did not want their state, in the words of Benjamin Franklin , to "hang separately." According to James Madison 's correspondence for that day, Williamsburg residents marked the occasion by taking down
17423-521: Was to apportion the House of Delegates on the white population basis, giving the western counties a majority, but for the Senate to be apportioned on a modified mixed basis of population and property including slaves, giving the eastern counties a majority. In the remaining two months of the convention, it was agreed to allow direct popular election of the governor, but each office holder would be limited to one term. Constitutional provision for public education
17556-601: Was unsuccessful until the national ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment , and the General Assembly did not ratify until 1952, but women could vote beginning in 1920. Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom . The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it
17689-554: Was voted down. Voting by secret ballot was rejected, perpetuating viva voce voting. Abraham Lincoln 's constitutional election reflected the nation's sectional divide, though 82 percent of the electorate had split among the Unionists, Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas and John Bell . Even before Lincoln's inauguration, the Deep South states that had cast Electoral College votes for John C. Breckinridge resolved to secede from
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