English Colonize the Americas

Joint Stock Company King of England doesn’t want to pay people to go to the Americas 1606 grants a charter Rich people can invest in sending people to the Americas in the hopes of finding gold When they find gold they keep a small portion, give some to the joint stock company owners, who give a portion to the king

Virginia Company 1607 sends 3 ships with 144 men to the Americas Land on a peninsula and call it Jamestown after King James the King of England John Smith sees they are focused more on finding gold than how they are going to survive there

Jamestown, 1607 Replica of one of the ships that brought the Jamestown colonists 144 Settlers depart England Three Ships: Susan Constant, Godspeed, Discovery

James Fort Map of Jamestown, The fifteenth of June we had built and finished our Fort, which was triangle wise, having three Bulwarkes, at every corner, like a halfe Moone, and foure or five pieces of Artillerie mounted in them." We had made our selves sufficiently strong for these Savages. George Percy, June 15, 1607

Realities of Jamestown 15,000-24,000 Members 30 Tribes A Kinship Network Ritual Adoption Annual hunts 1607 Powhatan Confederacy

1 st Settlers at Jamestown men Want gold and only gold – 38 survive the winter John Smith “he that will not work shall not eat” Powhatan people help the settlers John Smith is burned from a stray spark that lit his gun powder on fire – went back to England

“A more damned crew hell never vomited.” 105 colonists arrived in Jamestown in were still alive after nine months WHY? Native Americans Disease “Gentlemen Colonists” The Starving Time (Percy)

Early Interactions with Powhatan Confederacy December 1607 John Smith Captured Powhatan “adopts” the English into the Powhatan Confederacy. Enacted in the ritual involving Pocahontas. From Powhatan’s perspective, John Smith becomes a werowance, or subordinate chief.

Pocahontas and John Smith? A) Pocahontas loved John Smith and rescued him from certain death. B) Pocahontas played a role in a ritual adoption of John Smith directed by Powhatan. C) Pocahontas played no significant role in the capture and subsequent release of John Smith.

Early Relations between the English and the Native Americans Attacks on both sides Defined by local skirmishes/conflict and trade

2 nd round:Jamestown settlement Men women and children 1 st settlement was disorganized and the Powhatans had killed move the livestock and harassed colonists while they hunted WHY? Because the colonists weren’t leaving

Winter 1609 Famine Known as the starving time Ate roots, rats, snakes, and boiled shoe leather 60 made it through the winter

Starvation Time 1609 You tube Clip vmHFD-9g vmHFD-9g

Pocahantas images over time

1616 to 1793

1840s and early 1850s

Why do you think the images changed?

Brown Gold=Tobacco 1612 John Rolfe experimented with tobacco seeds from South America Citizens of England would buy the tobacco produced in the Americas 1.5 million pounds shipped yearly to England by 1620

Key Changes after 1615 Private Property replaces Company- owned land Headright system instituted Representative Government replaces Martial Law Heavy Recruiting of New Colonists: 3750 between

Life Expectancies

Tobacco = laborers Headright system – each new colonist got 50 acres and another 50 acres for each family member who migrated Indentured servant – in exchange for the planter (farm owner) paying for their trip from England to the Americas the new colonist would work for the planter for 4-7 then gain their freedom

Africans to the Americas 1619 – first Africans to Virginia Came on a Dutch ship As indentured servants Few years most of the Africans received freedom and land

Land Pressures Increase March 22, 1622: Attack by the Powhatan Confederacy 347 colonists killed May 1623: Colonists strike back Population , ,000. (English population in 1670 was 41, 000)

So when did slavery start Indentured servants cost 1000 pounds of tobacco Slave cost pounds of tobacco Less people came as indentured servants mid-late 1600’s Africans began being transported as slaves to work on tobacco plantations

English and the Natives can’t get along English colonization pushed people they defeated off the land Powhatan tribe grew more hostile England demanded the Natives work on colonial farms and pay tributes in corn Soldiers began kidnapping and taking hostages from the Powhatans 1614 John Rolfe married Pocahontas establishing a weak peace

Jamestown becomes a royal colony 1622 Powhatan raiding parties killed over 340 colonists Virginia company could not afford to provide security to the colonists King was making money from the sale of tobacco and didn’t want to the lose the colony 1624 – King James revoked the charter and took over Virginia as a royal colony

Growing split between the colonists Former Indentured servants made up ¼ of the population of Virginia Had little money So they couldn’t afford land If you didn’t own property you couldn’t vote Therefore ¼ of the population had no rights in Virginia and they were not happy