Once all the world was Virginia an exaggerated truism to be sure, but in the early eighteenth century, there seemed no limit on the Old Dominion s possibility for growth, particularly in the eyes of the state s Tidewater elite. Wealthy tobacco barons monopolized thousands of acres along Virginia s frontier, and early leadership, including William Byrd, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, saw the generous possibilities in the expanse of lands to their west. In 1705 Virginia planter and historian Robert Beverly confidently foresaw the day when Virginia s settlements would reach the...
Once all the world was Virginia an exaggerated truism to be sure, but in the early eighteenth century, there seemed no limit on the Old Dominion s pos...
