Background Virginia Constitutional Convention Before the Civil War, Virginia had no statewide system of free public schools. In the 1780s and 1810s the former governor Thomas Jefferson recommended creating a statewide school system, and the governors and made similar recommendations in the 1830s and 1840s. But the refused even to debate a proposal that the state take responsibility to educate its children. Read more about: The Establishment of the Public School System in Virginia| Encyclopedia Virginia
Background Declaration of Independence Jefferson was only thirty-six years old when he became governor, but he brought a diverse array of experience to the position. He had represented in the House of Burgesses between May 1769 and June 1775, writing a set of resolutions against the that called for a day of fasting and prayer and a boycott of all British goods. Read more about: Thomas Jefferson as Governor of Virginia| Encyclopedia Virginia
Education in Colonial America Education was limited in colonial America, where it was expensive and largely the purview of wealthy colonists. In , it was common for planters and other members of the to hire personal tutors for their children. Other Southern elites—and especially planters from the sugar islands—sent their children to college in England or to the Inns of Court. Read more about: Education in Virginia in the Revolutionary Era| Encyclopedia Virginia
