House of Burgesses | |
|---|---|
| Colony of Virginia | |
 Patrick Henry in the Virginia House of Burgesses by Peter F. Rothermel | |
| History | |
| Established | 1619 |
| Succeeded by | Virginia House of Delegates in 1776 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Reconstructed chamber in Williamsburg Jamestown, Virginia (1619–1699) Williamsburg, Virginia (1699–1776) | |
The House of Burgesses (/ˈbɜːrdʒəsɪz/) was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States when Virginia was a British colony. From 1642 to 1776, the House of Burgesses was an important feature of Virginian politics alongside the Crown-appointed colonial governor and the Virginia Governor's Council, the upper house of the General Assembly.[1]
When Virginia declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain at the Fifth Virginia Convention in 1776 and became the independent Commonwealth of Virginia, the House of Burgesses was transformed into the House of Delegates, which continues to serve as the lower house of the General Assembly.[2]
- ^ ibid.
- ^ Gottlieb, Matthew S. "House of Burgesses". Virginia Foundation of the Humanities. Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2016.