Name
Date
An English Settlement
at Jamestown
In the last section, you learned how the Spanish claimed
an empire in the Americas.
I’n this section, you will learn how the English came to
North America and founded their own colonies.
Use this time line to take notes. Fill it with important
events in the colonization of Virginia.
TERMS AND NAMES
John Smith Leader of Jamestown
joint-stock companies Companies in
which investors pooled their wealth
with the hope of yielding a profit
Jamestown First permanent English
settlement in North America
Powhata. Native Americans who
lived in the area that became
Jamestown
headright system The Virginia
Company’s system in which settlers
and the family members who came
with them each received 50 acres of
land
indentured servants Workers who
exchanged their labor for help getting
started in America
royal colony A colony under the
direct control of a monarch
Nathaniel Bacon Planter who led a
rebellion in 1676 againstthe governor
of the Virginia Colony
English Se lers S ruggle in
North Ameri (pages 42-46)
What happened at Jamestown?
food. As a result, many colonists at Jamestown
died. By the winter of 1607, only 39 colonists
remained alive. Then John Smitb took control of
John Smith was a soldier and adventurer. In 1606, the settlement. He forced the colonists to farm. He
he joined the Virginia Company. It was a joint- reeeived help from the Powhatan inhabitants of
stock company which allowed investors to pool the area, who offered tim colonists food. Under
tbeir wealth to fund a colony. In 1607, the VirginiaSmida’s leadership, the colony slowly recovered.
Company sent 150 colonists aboard three ships to
An injury forced Smith to return to England.
North America. Tbe colonists built a settlement After he left, tim settlement grew disorganized.
along the coast of modern-day Virginia. TheyAgain, many colonists starved to death. The colony
cal!ed the colony Jamestown in honor of Kingwas saved when more colonists and supplies
James I. It was tim first permanent English colonyarrived from England.
in tim Americas.
The new settlers restored order to Jamestown.
Many English colonists wanted to get rich quickThey also began to grow tobacco. Tbe colonists disby finding gold. They did not take time to growcovered that they ~ould sell tlais crop in Europe for
ChArOn 2 Tm~ AMERICAN COLONIES EMERCE 19
a great profit. The colony needed more settlers toplies. This left the company nearly bankrupt. The
grow more tobacco. To lure more settlers toturmoil in Virginia angered the English governJamestown, the Virginia Company started thement. As a result, the king took over the colony
headright system in 1618. Under this system, from the Virginia Company. Virginia became a
each new person who came to the colony reeKlved reyal eolony--a eoloW under the control of the
50 acres of land and another 50 acres for each fam- ldng.
ily member who came.
England sent in more settlers to strengthen the
Most of the people who arrived, however, didcolony. The government also sent in more troops to
not come under the headright system. Most cameconquer the Native Americans. By 1644, nearly
as indentured ser~antso In exchange for passage10,000 Engfish settlers lived in Virginia. The native
to North America, as well as food and shelter, anpopulation continued to decrease.
indentured servant agreed to work on a farm for How did becoming a rayal colony help Virginia?
several years. After that time, the indentured servaut would be free. Most indentured smvants were
poor English citizens in search of a new life.
In 1619, the first Africans arrived in No~h
America. They were treated as indent~zred smwants.
After several years of labor, they gained their freedora. In the decades to come, more and more
Africans would arrive in North America--not as
held the power in Virginia ?
indentured servants, but as slaves.
In addition to fighting Native Americans, the
How did tobacco help save the settlement
English seUlers fought among th6mselves. Wealthy
at ,Jamestown?
landowaers controlled life in the colony. Freed
indentured smwants had little money to buy land.
Beeaus’e they did not ova~ land, they could not vote
m~d had Nmost no rights. They were forced to live
on the western edge of Virginia. Out there, they
The Se |ers Clash wi h Native
constantly fought with the Native Americans for
Arneric s
land.
(pages 46-47)
Virginia~ govermnent refused to help these
poor
settlers in their battles with Native Americans.
How did English colonists treat the
Nathanlel Bacon, a wealthy plante~; came to tim
Native Americans?
settlers" rescue. He raised an army to figlit the
Unlike the Spanish, English settlers had no desireNative Americans. The governor of Virginia
to live among or intermarry with Native Amm~cans.
declared thai army illegal. When Bacon heard tl~is,
Instead, they struggled to drive the Nativehe led a group of marchers into Jamestown. They
Americans away.
protested the government’s treatment of poor setAs lamestown grew, the colony needed moretlers. The march turned violent. The govermnent
land for [:arming. As a result, the English settlers
eventually put down the rebellion.
seized Powhatan land. In 1692, the Native
did ~athaaiel Bacon lend a rebellion against
Americans fought back. They attacked numerous Why
the governor of Virginia?
colonial villages. More than 840 colonists were
]dlled, The Native American attack forced the
Virginia Company to send in more troops and sup-