 Jamestown was first founded in May 1607 by the Virginia Company under England.  The purpose was to find gold and silver, and find a water route to the Pacific.  From , A horrible winter battered the colony, losing many settlers.  Lord De La Warr arrives with supplys and workmen to save Jamestown, right before they were ready to give up.  The colony was made up of many wealthy business men, lacking the knowledge to build, govern and maintain a colony.

 Jamestown started as a charter colony.  It defined the share England and Jamestown had in the government.  Differences in changes and ideas of governing started the American War of Independence.  After the crippling winter of , the Virginia Company started reforms to attract more settlers.  In addition, the House of Burgesses was started, and its first 22 members first met on July  The goal was to remove the previous strict laws and rules, and provided more freedom to settlers.

 Only 38 of 105 settlers deposited in Jamestown survived the first winter.  Two years later only 60 of Jamestown’s 500 residents survived the first winter.

 John Smith › Work or starve  Starving time  Pocahontas › Peace of Pocahontas  Women  Slavery › indentured servants

 John Rolfe – Married to Pocahontas. John Rolfe, introduced tobacco to Jamestown.  Tobacco – was Jamestown’s cash crop, introduced by John Rolfe.

 Rev. Robert Hunt  Ministers  Anglican Missionaries

 May 14, 1607  1612  Starving Time The Virginia company's seal John Rolfe began planting and selling tobacco

Powhatan Pocahontas John Rolfe William Berkeley Nathaniel Bacon John Smith