1. English Settlers Arrive in Jamestown

7. Background Before settlers arrive in Jamestown
England and Spain are rivals
Sinking of the Spanish Armada
Lost colony at Roanoke Island (1586)
April 26, 1607
3 English ships settle in Jamestown-60 miles inland of the Chesapeake Bay on the James River (names for the King)
Virginia was named for Elizabeth I (“The Virgin Queen”)
Jamestown-1st permanent English settlement in the New World

8. England’s Social Crisis
In the late 16th century, England had a “surplus” of population. Why?
Population grows from 3 million in 1550 to 4 million in 1600
Enclosure Movement
“Push/Pull” factors forced thousands of people to look for work in the cities
By the end of the 17th century, half the population lived at or below the poverty line.

9. How does the government address the issue of poverty?
Unemployed were known as “Mastlerless Men”
Under Henry VIII, they were whipped, branded, hung, or forced into the army.
Between 1607 and 1700, half a million people leave England
Most settle in Virginia
Most popular cash crop was tobacco

10. Why do the English choose the New World?
Chance to become a national power
Rid the New World of Spanish influence
Rid the New World of Roman Catholicism
Tremendous Anti-Pope feelings in England
Chance for religious minorities (Puritans, Pilgrims to worship without government interference
Chance to make money
Chance for ordinary men and women to escape inequality
Access to land
English settle in the middle part of North America

11. Settling in Jamestown First leader is John Smith
Original goal was to search for gold
“Starving Time”
First winter, half of the settlers die
“Starving Time” teaches them how to farm, abandon search for gold, and find a marketable commodity (cash crop)
Powhatan Indians teach settlers how to farm and survive

12. Colonial Government
To the English, land was the most valuable commodity
Establish headwright system
50 acres of land to any colonist who paid for his own passage
Leads to the **Virginia House of Burgesses(1619)**
Was HOB democratic?
Only landowning men could vote
Governor/company could nullify any measure adopted
Why is HOB important?
First attempt at democratic, colonial governments

13. Indentured Servitude Cash crops required tremendous labor
Those that could pay arrived as free persons
However, 2/3 of English settlers came as indentured servants
Indentured servants surrendered their freedom for a specific amount of time in exchange for passage to America
Indentured servants could be:
Bought and sold
Could not marry without permission of their owner
Subject to physical punishment
Saw obligation to labor enforced by the courts
Female servants had service time lengthened if they became pregnant

14. From Servitude to Slavery
Why did Indentured Servitude fail?
Weather
Indentured Servants remained poor
Did not always have access to the best land
“Rejection of hard labor by indentured servants leads to the importation of slaves**
Why did plantation owners prefer slavery?
**Slave for life**
**Immunity to diseases**
Used to hard labor
Not protected by English law

15. English viewed slaves as property
During 17th century, slavery was a major international business
Tobacco, sugar, rice, coffee required intense labor
First slaves arrive after 1619
By 1700, 10% of Virginia’s population was black
By 1750, 50% of population was black
1705, HOB passed a new slave law
Slaves were property
Slaves were completely subjected to the will of their masters
Could be bought, sold, leased, fought over in court, passed onto master’s descendants
Between 1492 and 1820, 7.7 million slaves were transported to New World

16. A Tobacco Colony
King James I considered tobacco “harmful to the brain and dangerous to the lungs”
Tobacco was very popular in Europe
Tobacco was introduced by John Rolfe in place of gold
1624- over 200,000 pounds grown
million pounds