That is not what they did. They declared any British sponsored government dissolved, and substituted their own.
Your interpretation has more holes that a slab of swiss cheese!
"Here, on June 29, 1776, Virginians declared their independence from Great Britain and wrote the state's first constitution, thereby creating an independent government four days before Congress voted for the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia."
Well, how special. You quote from a tour guide pamphlet.
And that is different from establishing oneself as an independent state exactly how?
Well, how special. You quote from a tour guide pamphlet.
Yeah. The facts you are sparring with are such common knowledge in the state of Virginia that they're standard material on the statehouse tour. Most people who want to quibble over historical details for the simple sake of arguing pick obscure stuff that they can formulate a reasonable position on, but here you are taking issue with stuff that every person in the state from 3rd grade on up knows as common knowledge. Funny, ain't it?