President Donald J. Trump To Speak At Virginia's 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution Signature Event Commemorating 400 Years Of American Democracy

26/07/2019 17:21

JAMESTOWN, Va., July 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of the 400^th anniversary of the first representative legislative assembly in North America, President Donald J. Trump will participate in the 400^th Anniversary Joint Commemorative Session of the Virginia General Assembly, hosted by Virginia's 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution. The event will be held from 10 A.M. – noon EDT on Tuesday, July 30 at Jamestown Settlement, near the site where America's representative government began 400 years ago. President Trump will be joined by state and national leaders, and representatives from democratic nations around the world, to commemorate the convening of the first representative legislative assembly in 1619 Virginia, which was the birthplace of American democracy.

This event will be simulcast live at Historic Jamestowne and on the Virginia General Assembly website.

From July 30 through August 4, 1619 the first General Assembly met in the Jamestown church. Governor Sir George Yeardley presided over the General Assembly, which was comprised of two male settlers representing each of the 11 major settlement areas in the Virginia Colony. This new form of representative government laid the foundation for the United States' system of democratic government.

"Next week we will commemorate the birth of representative democracy in the Western Hemisphere at Jamestown, Virginia 400 years ago," said M. Kirkland Cox, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and Co-Chairman of the 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution. "The Commonwealth is honored to have the President of the United States join for this historic occasion, as the General Assembly convenes on the same ground where the seeds of our system of democratic government were sowed four centuries ago."

Throughout 2019 American Evolution is convening more than 20 events, programs, educational initiatives, performances and exhibitions that showcase key events from 400 years ago in 1619 Virginia, which set our nation on a course towards the ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity. In addition to the first representative legislative assembly, these pivotal 1619 Virginia events include the arrival of the first Africans to English North America, the recruitment of English women in significant numbers, the first official English Thanksgiving in North America and the development of the Virginia colony's entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. A full schedule of American Evolution programming can be found here.

About the 2019 Commemoration
The 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution highlights events that occurred in Virginia in 1619 that continue to influence America today. Featured programs, events and legacy projects will position Virginia as a leader in education, tourism and economic development. American Evolution commemorates the ongoing journey toward the key ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity. Dominion Energy is an American Evolution Founding Partner and Altria Group and TowneBank are Virginia Colony Partners.

About the Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly dates from the establishment of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown in 1619. It is heralded as the oldest continuous lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere. It was then and is now a legislative body comprised of "citizen legislators," elected representatives that serve in a part-time capacity meeting full-time responsibilities.

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