Welcome to the Virginia History Blog. Titles selected for book reviews are taken from the bibliographies of scholarly, peer reviewed Virginia history surveys. Titles related to the topic and recent publications by authors are also included.
Additional books are chosen from those reviewed in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the Journal of Southern History and the Journal of American History.
After the books are reviewed in the Blog, they are redistributed among historical eras at The Virginia Historian.com: (1) Early and Late Colonial 1600-1763, (2) Revolution-Constitutional-New Nation 1750-1824, (3) Antebellum, Civil War-Reconstruction 1820-1883, (4) Gilded Age, New South, 20th Century 1880-present.
The Virginia Historian may earn a small commission for a link to any Amazon products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support this platform to make Virginia history accessible.
Thomas Jefferson’s New Nation
The New Nation was defined by Thomas Jefferson’s presidency and the political party he built occupying the White House for 24 continuous years of the Constitution’s first 36 years. “Jefferson’s America” gives us a political survey from 1760 to 1815, now in its third edition. The transformations both democratic and commercial are conveyed in “The...
"Thomas Jefferson’s New Nation"Continue reading
Virginia’s New Nation history
We begin our survey of Virginia’s early New Nation history with two surveys of the Federalist Era, “The Old Dominion and the New Nation” and “Chesapeake Politics”. The last two relate to the bulwarks of provincial establishment in county governments , “Faithful Magistrates and Republican Lawyers” and “Juries and Judges versus the Law”. For book...
"Virginia’s New Nation history"Continue reading
Federalist Era in New Nation Virginia
We begin our look at the Federalist Era in New Nation Virginia with a national look at politics through the two Federalist presidents, George Washington and John Adams in “Presidency of George Washington” and “First Presidential Contest: 1796” for Adams’ election. The development of political parties that were in Revolutionary theory the death knell of...
"Federalist Era in New Nation Virginia"Continue reading
U.S. Constitution in Virginia
To look at the creation of the Constitution and its beginning in the New Nation in Virginia, we begin with two surveys explaining the Articles of Confederation and the new Constitution, one developing political and intellectual history in “Creation of the American Republic”, the other emphasizing economic and social history in “The Forging of the...
"U.S. Constitution in Virginia"Continue reading
Revolutionary War in Virginia
For the Revolutionary War in Virginia, we look at five very different kinds of treatment of war, its pursuit on the ground, its politics and popular support, and military establishments. “Theaters of the American Revolution” is a collection of essays charting battles and campaigns North, Middle, South, frontier and at sea. “The Politics of War”...
"Revolutionary War in Virginia"Continue reading
Religion in Revolutionary Virginia
In our third look at social history in this series, we examine five books addressing religion in Revolutionary Virginia. “Founders on God and Government” shows how religious beliefs influenced views of the republic. “Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion assesses the transformation of Virginia and other colonies from Christian commonwealths to secular republican governance....
"Religion in Revolutionary Virginia"Continue reading
American Revolution in Virginia’s African American history
In our next social history look at the American Revolution in Virginia, we feature four books on African American history. “Slavery and Freedom” investigates the results of the Revolution on slave and free black families in the Chesapeake and elsewhere and the development of autonomous black communities. “Water from the Rock” describes the social and military...
"American Revolution in Virginia’s African American history"Continue reading
American Revolution in Virginia, Women’s Studies
In our three blogs on the American Revolution in Virginia social history, we turn first to women’s studies, then African American and lastly religious history. In “Revolutionary Mothers” we see the participation of women in the Revolution with the concepts of women’s studies. “Women of the Republic” focuses on the political, while “Liberty’s Daughters” focuses...
"American Revolution in Virginia, Women’s Studies"Continue reading
American Revolution in Virginia, political part 2
In this second blog on the American Revolution in Virginia, we again turn to the political. Later we will look at its social history in three blogs, and military history in one. The most singular document of the period is certainly the Declaration of Independence, and the process that brought it about is described in...
"American Revolution in Virginia, political part 2"Continue reading
American Revolution in Virginia, political part 1
We begin our look at the American Revolution in Virginia with six blogs, beginning with political histories (2), then social (3) and military (1). “Founding of a Nation” surveys the internal politics of all thirteen colonies and Britain, especially the three largest: Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. “Revolution in Virginia” describes the politics and war campaigns...