Jamestown1607

1606-The Virginia Company (joint-stock

company) of London (est. by James I) chartered the voyage

Charter guaranteed colonists their rights as English men (extended the English Bill of Rights) and became a foundation of American liberties

1607-the Va. Co., led by Captain John Smith, est. the colony: 140 men + 4 boys set out in Dec. 1606, landed in April 1607

Named after James I After 7 months, only 32 people were left, Indians

saved the remaining

Initial Start

Wealthy could pay their own way Poor-via indentured servitude-passage paid for

with agreement to work for 4-7 yrs, at the end of work, free to own/work his/her own land

The Voyage

Approx. 60 miles from the mouth of the James

River, in the Chesapeake Bay Region (marshland)

Settlement Area

Advantages? Disadvantage

s?

Modern view

Diseases-site was malaria ridden (mosquitoes)-

chosen for military concerns Water was bad Looked for gold rather than planting-ignored

daily tasks to survive (Starving Time-Winter 1609-1610)

Many were poor and squabbled over little things No skilled artisans/craftsman-”pretty boys”-

settlers were not used to the manual labor required to est. a colony

Native Americans-growing issue as time progressed-almost destroyed the colony

Major issues

Indian massacre of 1622-by the Powhatan

Confederacy

Dec. 1607-captured by the

Werowocomoco tribe while exploring, released w/o harm (Pocahontas)

John Smith emerged as a leader-1608-”no work, no eat”

Relation with Pocahontas not true (she was 11 when he met her), daughter of Chief Powhatan-never married

Had to return to England due to an injury

John Smith

What helps to save Jamestown?

Also had a relationship

with Pocahontas, she later married him and moved back to England with him, where they had one son

1612-introduced tobacco (cash crop, staple crop)

Helped save Jamestown (a struggling settlement for approx. 10 yrs)-tobacco

John Rolfe

European demand greatly grew Need for laborers to grow it increased as well Landowners preferred not to lose land to

indentured servants once they had paid off their debt

Move toward slavery and the African slave trade

Tobacco

1619-House of Burgesses est.-the first elected

legislative body in the colonies Made laws for the colony and helped to plan

its growth and development First representative govt.

Government

House of Burgesses est. Women arrive Transfer of Africans to the settlement for work

as indentured servants

1619

1624-charter is revoked, VA. becomes a royal

colony Va. Co. goes bankrupt By 1625, 1200 survived out of 8000 who came Indian problems-growing need for military

attention James I distrusted legislative assembly and

hated the importance of tobacco

In the End-Foreshadowing

First successful colony Est. Native American/British relationship that

would be seen for years to come Economy-tobacco First representative govt.

Significance

By the late 1800’s, only this 1639 ruin remained…in the 1990’s, the ruins of the original fort were found underwater in the James River