ST. JOHN'S CHURCH

It was in this beautiful wooden church, the oldest church in Richmond, that America's aspiration to independence took a decisive turn on March 23, 1775. Gathered in the only city building that could welcome so many people, hundreds of representatives of the colonies, including Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Richard Henry Lee, decided by a short majority to switch from the mere challenge of the British colonial power to a true revolution in independence.

The patriot Patrick Henry said on this occasion a homérique speech, famous for the phrase «Give me Liberty or Give Me Death» («liberty or death»). A few days later, the first rifles of the Independence War were recorded near Boston.