Annual Assembly

On 10 March 1628 the first Virginia General Assembly authorized by the king convened in Jamestown. Though a legislative body had met in Virginia in 1619, the session of 1628 was the first to be called for by the crown following the collapse of the Virginia Company in 1624.

Initially, governmental affairs in the Virginia colony were largely controlled by the organizers of the Virginia Company in London. Early settlers were afforded all the rights and privileges of free Englishmen. Unfortunately, the Virginia colony failed to develop as both the Virginia Company and the crown had hoped.

In 1618, as part of a general reform, the governing body of the Virginia Company authorized the creation of a representative assembly in Virginia in hopes that such an effort would foster goodwill between the company and settlers and make the colony more viable. This first legislature in 1619 dealt with a number of issues of great importance to the colony, including taxes, protection from the Indians, and the planting of crops.

By 1624, it was quite evident that the Virginia Company was unable to make Virginia a productive and populous colony. After the dissolution of the company by King James I, responsibility for governing Virginia was largely transferred to the crown-appointed governor and his council. However, in March of 1628, the crown requested Governor Francis West to call for an assembly to discuss the tobacco contract, whereby tobacco produced in the colony was sold exclusively to England. Though this assembly may not be considered a legislative body in the traditional sense, it is significant as it marked the beginning of annual meetings of the assembly in the royal colony of Virginia.