The First English Colonies:

Jamestown and PlymouthTextbook Reference: Chapter 3 sections 4,5

Focus Questions:

• #3 What were the different reasons for the settlement of the English colonies Jamestown and Plymouth?• #4 How did the concept of “self-government” develop in the English

colonies?

I Can:

• Describe the problems that the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies faced and how they overcame them.• Describe how European settlement impacted Native Americans and

the role that Native Americans played in the early colonization efforts of England.• Describe the role that religion played in early European colonization

efforts

Jamestown: Starvation, Tobacco, and Representative Government

The Virginia Company of London

• In 1606, King James granted the Virginia Company of London a charter to settle land in North America.• A charter is a legal document

that gives certain rights to a person or company.

Jamestown: disaster, starvation…

• The colony is established in 1607. • Dirty water/swampy area• Drought/poor soil• The “wrong people”/many of the colonists were primarily interested

in looking for gold not farming• Bad planning/ over-reliance on Native Americans for trade and

support• Disease, poisoning, murder/breakdown of law after Smith leaves for

England

…recovery• John Rolfe arrives in 1610 • His tobacco is exported in 1612

Pocahontas and John Smith

Married John Rolfe in 1614, which creates a temporary climate of peace

An effective leader in the colony from 1607-1609

Representative Government in Jamestown• In response to the difficult early years at Jamestown- many leaders

were tough on the settlers and set up harsh systems of rule • Who wants to live like this? Nobody. • So, to attract colonists to Jamestown, the Virginia Company sent a

new governor with orders to meet with elected officials throughout the colony• In 1619, The House of Burgesses meets for the first time. This

governing body is made up of burgesses or representatives chosen by the male members of the colony•

The Virginia House of Burgesses

English traditions that lead to American Representative

GovernmentMagna Carta• 1215- King John agreed to

consult a great council of nobles before raising taxes

Parliament• A representative assembly in

England that influenced the way colonists viewed their rights to representative government in America

Plymouth: Seeking opportunity and Religious Freedom in 1620

It was not easy for people to practice religion freely in Europe

during the 1500s• #1 The Protestant Reformation divided European Christians into

Roman Catholics and Protestants- this led to fighting over religion and the deaths of thousands of people

European States and Religion

#2 The Established Church• The rulers of Europe preferred to

maintain law and order by picking a religion and supporting it over all others.

How do you think government involvement in religion affects religion?

#3 Persecution• The mistreatment or punishment

of those who did not follow the established church.

• How do you think persecuted people overcame their mistreatment?

Religious Separatists decide to leave Europe and settle in North America• #4 In 1620 the Mayflower lands in an area in present-day

Massachusetts • These colonists won a charter to settle in Virginia, They wanted to go

to the Hudson River in New York, but settled in Cape Cod Mass.

Religious Separatists decide to leave Europe and settle in North America

#5 The Mayflower Compact• The colonists set up a

framework for governing their colony and agreed to unite under this new rule of law.

#6 Precedent• The desire of the separatists

(pilgrims) to worship freely in America became an important example for others to follow.

The Mayflower Compact

Early Hardships for the Plymouth Colony

#7 Cold Weather• The Pilgrims showed up right as

winter was starting and had they a hard time getting shelters built

#8 Starvation• They did not bring enough food

with them and they were too late in the season to plant