The First English Settlements

Chapter 3 Section 1p. 66

Section FocusHow did the English set up their first colonies?

England Seeks Colonies● England began to establish colonies in North

America in the 1500s● These were new markets to English products

and important for the raw materials needed for their industries

● England initially tried twice to set up new colonies but they did not survive:

■ 1580 (Roanoke Island; coast of NC)■ 1587 (Roanoke Island)

Founding Jamestown● In 1607, a group of wealthy

people put their resources together and made a new attempt to establish an English colony in North America.

Founding Jamestown● England’s King James I backed this idea and

granted merchants a charter to establish a colony called Virginia

● A charter is a document issued by a government that grants specific rights to a person or company

Founding Jamestown● The first colonists arrived in Virginia in the

spring of 1607, built a fort, and named it Jamestown

● They struggled in the new land and relied on locals such as Chief Powhatan to survive

● As a result, by 1608, of the 100 men who first arrived, only 38 survived.

John Smith Takes Over● Terrible leadership and bad conditions led to

John Smith leaving London to head to America to lead the new colony

● His motto: “He who works not, eats not”

● Under his leadership women were able to join in on the new settlement and food was no longer an issue to the settlers

1. What reasons did England have for establishing colonies?

2. Why did settlers in Jamestown have difficulties at first?

3. What was the effect of John Smith’s leadership on Jamestown?

Jamestown Prospers● To combat hard times, new colonists were

coming over, free land was offered, and new leaders were coming to keep it on track

● They finally found a sustainable crop to make money: tobacco

● By the 1620s, tobacco smoking had spread to many European countries and the Virginia farmers were selling all they could grow

The House of Burgesses● With business booming, Virginia developed a

tradition of representative government

● Representative Government is the form of government in which voters elect people to make laws for them

● In 1619, Virginia’s first law making body, The House of Burgesses, was elected

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3yC1Y-7utA

1. Why do you think settlers were suddenly granted the right to self-government from England?

2. What were the responsibilities of the House of Burgesses?

The Plymouth Colony● About the time Jamestown was being established, so was

another colony in North America

● Pilgrims (formerly known as Separatists) from Europe also decided to settle in Virginia so they headed towards North America

● A pilgrim is a person who takes a religious journey

The Mayflower Compact● In 1620, about 100 pilgrims headed

for Virginia on the Mayflower

● They finally reached North America, however, storms had caused them to drift North and they landed in current day Massachusetts.

● They named the new home Plymouth

The Mayflower Compact● These settlers signed the Mayflower Compact as call for a new

government to make “just and equal laws”

● Officeholders would be elected by adult males of the colony

● The Mayflower Compact was the next step in American colonists rights to govern themselves

The First Thanksgiving● Winter was difficult in Plymouth for the Pilgrims because they

arrived too late to plant crops and did not have enough food

● Therefore, many of the colonists died that first year

● Once through winter, the settlers began to thrive due to the help of Squanto and his Native American people

The First Thanksgiving● In the Fall of 1621, the Pilgrims set aside a time to give thanks

for their good fortune

● This marked the first occasion of a Thanksgiving holiday

1. Half Sheet of Paper2. Write a letter to send back to your family in England describing

what is taking place in the new colony (Jamestown or Plymouth).3. You must use evidence from this section as support for the

information in the letter.4. Use some creativity to present the facts.5. Date it correctly based on your facts.