Ordinance for Virginia (1618)

Introduction

Issued on November 28, 1618, the Ordinance for Virginia was a directive from the Virginia Company of London that restructured the governance of the colony and introduced the framework for representative government. Though technically a corporate order rather than a royal charter, it had profound constitutional significance. It authorized the creation of a General Assembly, which would meet for the first time in 1619, marking the birth of legislative self-rule in English America.

Core Provisions

The ordinance introduced several key reforms:

• Bicameral Legislature: It established two governing bodies in Virginia:
  • The Council of State, appointed by the Company to advise the governor.
  • The General Assembly, composed of elected representatives (burgesses) from each settlement.
• Local Representation: For the first time, settlers could elect representatives to voice their concerns and participate in lawmaking.
• Legal Authority: The Assembly was empowered to enact “just laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people,” provided they conformed to English law.
• Land Incentives: The ordinance also encouraged private land ownership and family migration, replacing the earlier communal labor model with a more stable, property-based economy.
• Moral and Religious Order: It emphasized the need for Christian instruction and moral discipline, aligning civil governance with religious mission.

Historical Significance

The Ordinance for Virginia was a turning point in colonial governance:

• It laid the foundation for the House of Burgesses, which first convened in Jamestown in July 1619—the first elected legislative body in the Western Hemisphere.
• It marked a shift from corporate control to local self-government, a principle that would later underpin American republicanism.
• It helped stabilize the colony by promoting land ownership, family settlement, and rule of law.

Though the Virginia Company would be dissolved in 1624, the structures established by this ordinance endured and evolved under royal governance.

Conclusion

The Ordinance for Virginia of 1618 was more than a corporate directive—it was a constitutional milestone. By authorizing representative government and local lawmaking, it planted the seeds of American democracy. Its legacy lives on in the enduring ideal that government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed.

Sources:
American Colonial Documents – LONANG Institute (PDF)
Library of Congress – Virginia Records, 1606–1737
University of Wisconsin – Ordinance for Virginia (1621 follow-up)