Richmond
Richmond, capital of Virginia, lies on the James River in the heart of the state. The townscape of Richmond - a banking centre, an industrial town (tobacco, papermaking, printing, chemicals) and the seat of two universities - is dominated by high-rise office blocks, but amid the
skyscrapers there are still some reminders (the State Capitol and many old houses) of the town's great past as a centre of the American independence movement and one-time capital of the Confederation.
History: When, during the revolutionary war, the patriots feared that the capital of Virginia, Williamsburg (Virginia), might be taken they made Richmond, which had been founded in 1737, the new capital. Here in 1775 Patrick Henry made the famous speech in which he called for separation from Britain with the slogan "Liberty or death!". From 1861 Richmond was capital of the Confederation until its capture in April 1865. At the end of the war the retreating Southern troops set their storehouses on fire, a fire that spread to the town.
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