England Seeks Colonies:
Kings/Queens power-limited by law making body---
Parliament
1585- Colony Established on Roanoke but
abandoned 1yr later
1587- Second try at Roanoke: Colonists
disappeared w/o trace
Colonies in NW would provide England with Raw
Materials for English industries
Founding Jamestown
Founded with goal of making money
Charter
document issued by a government that grants
specific rights to a person or company
Virginia Company of London
investors pooled their money to finance
colonization of N America---looking for gold/silver
Created Joint Stock Companies----ancestors to our
corporations
Virginia is a Corporate Colony
Colonists spent time looking for gold NOT
farming/building settlement
John Smith Takes Charge:
Mercenary
“Starving Time:
Jamestown Prospers
Jamestown
Conditions in Jamestown= horrible
Professional Soldier for hire
Smith made tough rules—“he who works not, eats not”
Smith had buildings built, crops planted
Smith raided N.A.s’ for more food---angered the Powhatan
because they thought English would possess his country
and invade
Smith leaves because of injury in 1609
Relations worsen with Indians---Run out of food
Winter of 1609-1610---=Starving time= only 60 colonists
alive
New colonists and new leaders sent to restore
1612- farmers start planting tobacco—becomes main source of
income---success draws
more colonists = cash
crop
Blended tobacco
Indentured Servant
People coming to Virginia agreed to work for 7 yrs. to pay costs
House of Burgesses
Virginia developed-Representative Gov’t
House of Burgesses create in 1619
Could pass laws and set taxes---shared power with Virginia’s
governor who could veto house of Burgesses
Representative Government
Headright System:
Africans come to VA
Form of gov’t in which voters elect people to make laws
for them
Government offers 50 acres to every person coming to colony
and 50 acres for every “head” that person brought
1619-Dutch ships arrived with 20 Africans- sold
as slaves to colonists
Africans could become free after so many years of working
Plymouth Colony
1500’s- people could be punished for religious beliefs
Expected to follow king’s religion
Separatists
people who move out of England to practice Christianity in their
own ways—treated badly or persecuted because of this
group of separatists settled in Holland but still not happy
1620 Separatists moved to VA and are now known as pilgrims
1607-1609Pilgrims
person who takes a religious journey
Mayflower Compact
1620—100 pilgrims sailed for VA on Mayflower
Blew off course to modern day Mass—named colony Plymouth
Pilgrims created own “rules” and signed this “compact”—(41
signers)
Created government that would make/follow “just and equal
laws”
First document which American colonists govern themselves
First Thanksgiving
First winter @ Plymouth hard
Help from Natives-Squanto
Half colonists die in first year due to hunger or disease
Squanto
Gave Pilgrims seeds, showed how to plant and catch fish
Pilgrims celebrated their good fortune with a day of thanks
Enclosure Movement