The First Colonial Settlement

 Companies in which investors pooled wealth with the hope of gaining a profit  Once they obtained charter – had to maintain colony, in return they would be entitled to receive back most of the profit colony earned  1606 – King James I granted charter to Virginia Company  Would receive 4/5 of gold and silver found  Who do you think got the other 1/5?

 Reached Chesapeake Bay and moved inwards.  Settled by the now-called James River and founded the colony of Jamestown  Began planting, but many did not like manual labor  They wanted to find gold

 Native Americans living in the area at the time  Known as Powhatan Confederacy  Wanted to create fruitful relations with English at first  Realized too late English didn’t want to be “friends” with Native americans

 Strong leader  Inflicted strict discipline  “those who did not work shall not eat”  Worked with the Natives  Only 38 of the 105 colonists that came over at first survived the first 9 months.  Had to sail back to England in injured

 Winter of  Many died

 Reason for being  John Rolfe – responsible for the rapid production of tobacco  He married Pocahontas, not John Smith  Helped ease tensions with English and Native Americans  american-history/pocahontas

 Brought over to North America  Received food and shelter  Servitude for 4-7 years

 Anyone who bought a share in the VA Company or could transport himself to VA received 50 acres of land and 50 more for any servants he might send or bring

 “Rights of Englishmen”  7/30/1619 – first General Assembly met

 90 “young maidens” brought over to be sold to their husband of choice  Group of 20 African Americans brought over  Do you think they were slaves at first?

 Since 1607  14,000 people had migrated to colony  In 1624 – only 1,132 people lived there  King appointed commission to investigate  How do you think VA’s status changed as a result?

 Natives staged attack in  English put down attack and it didn’t happen again  24,000 Algonquians who inhabited this area in 1607 reduced to 2,000 by 1669

 Jamestown’s governor  High taxes – paid by poor settlers  Money not used for public good – where do you think it went to?  What do you think the settlers wanted their tax money to go to?

 1675 – fighting between Natives and colonists. Berkeley would not give colonists military support  Didn’t sit well with Bacon  Raised his own army  Marched to Jamestown in 1676 to confront colonial leaders  Also upset with lack of representation in the House of Burgesses – VA’s colonial legislature

 Berkeley fled  Bacon died a month later  Charles I became critical of Berkeley’s policies  Berkeley recalled to England but he died too  Exposed the growing power of former indentured servants

 1634 founded – ten years after VA  Proprietary colony – what do you think this means?

 Sir George Calvert – sought religious refuge for English Catholics (Why would this be necessary?)  Cecilius Calvert – 2 nd Lord Baltimore  Founded colony in 1634

 1 st Legislative Assembly met  Meant to rely upon mixed farming, but like VA soon came to depend on tobacco  60 manorial estates existed in Maryland by 1676