We the People: The World in Virginia

We the People tells the compelling stories of immigrants to Virginia since 1776.

Over the last two and a half centuries, millions of people have emigrated from other countries and made Virginia their home. Today, more than 1.6 million people living in the Commonwealth of Virginia are foreign born.

Since its founding and up to the present day, Virginia has been at the center of so many crucial debates, including those over immigration. As this book's richly drawn essays show us, successive waves of immigration have diversified and enriched Virginia in countless ways. On a grand scale, they have forced Virginia to reckon with its racial history, its politics, and its view of itself and the world.

With a combination of historical essays, examinations of immigrant communities, and personal stories, this volume explores the many people who, over centuries, have made Virginia the unique place it is in the United States and in the world.