1. Unit 1 Colonial Era and American Beginnings
Chapter 2:
The American Colonies Emerge

2. English Settlement of Jamestown
England decided not to fund colonization of the new lands like Spain had done.
King James I, in 1606, granted a charter or official permit for two joint-stock companies to colonize the Americas,
A) Allowed several investors to pool their wealth in support of a colony that would, hopefully, yield a profit.
The Virginia companies of London and Plymouth started organizing a colony and selling stock in order to raise funds.

3. King James

4. Royal Charter of
King James

5. Jamestown
The Plymouth company disbanded, leaving the Virginia company of London as the sole company.
The Virginia company promised gold would be found and each person who went to colonize the land would get a share.
The king of England would get 1/5 of all the gold and silver.

6. In April of 1607 three ships of the Virginia company (Susan Constant, Discovery, and Godspeed) sailed up the James River and started a settlement known as Jamestown.
John Smith was the leader of the colony and he sensed trouble from the start.
He noticed that everyone was consumed with finding gold and had no desire to farm or even build permanent housing.

7. John Smith
“What man who is poor or who has only his merit to advance his fortunes can desire more contentment than to walk over and plant the land he has obtained by risking his life? Here nature and liberty [give] us freely that which we lack or have to pay dearly for in England What pleasure can be greater than to grow tired from planting vines, fruits, or vegetables?” Discussion – What will be different in America than England?

8. Many colonists became ill from drinking infected river water
Many colonists became ill from drinking infected river water. And because there were no crops, the colonists began to starve.
By the winter of 1607 only 38 of the original 150 settlers were still alive.
Many of the settlers had never done manual labor and had refused to farm or help build shelters.
John Smith finally set a law stating that, “he that will not work shall not eat.”
Class discussion : First impressions

9. Recent Discoveries at Jamestown
Excavation since 1994 has uncovered hundreds of thousands of artifacts dating to the first half of the 17th century. Nearly half of the objects date to the first years of English settlement ( ). The site of James Fort was not washed into the river as most people believed for the past 200 years. We have uncovered over 250 feet of two palisade wall lines, the east cannon projection (bulwark), three filled in cellars, and a building, all part of the triangular James Fort. Also a palisade wall line and a large building were found attached to the main fort to the east.
A drawing of James Fort (c.1609) by Pedro de Zuniga, a Spanish ambassador. The sketch shows a flag-like projection which is more probably an enclosed garden. The three sides and circular bastions at the corners are common to all three descriptions of the early fort.

11. Powhatan
The local natives, the Powhatan Indians - persuaded to give the settlers food and support.
John Smith was burned in an accident and had to return to England. The colonists now had no leader…
In 1609, 600 more settlers were sent to Jamestown. They found the colony in disarray and being harassed by the Powhatan.
The Powhatan killed all the settler’s livestock and kept the settlers from hunting for food.
By the spring of 1610 only 60 colonists survived.

12. Tobacco
Jamestown was saved when a new leader showed up. He did not hesitate to flog or even hang colonists that did not do their fair share of the work.
John Rolfe began to grow a new strain of tobacco, which was soon in high demand in Europe.
Jamestown began growing tobacco or “brown gold” and exported about 1.5 million pounds of it a year.
The farmers at Jamestown needed laborers to work the tobacco fields and began to use the headright system.
Headright system – Anyone who paid their own passage to the new land received 50 acres of land.

13. Indentured Servents
The headright system promised 50 acres of land to anyone who moved to Jamestown. They would also get an additional 50 acres for each family member who came along.
Indentured servants also began to move to Jamestown. Indentured servants received “free” passage to the colonies in return for a set period of time that they had to work off the debt. The servant usually worked for about 4 to 7 years as a type of slave until the debt was paid.
In 1619 a Dutch ship brought the first Africans to Jamestown. They were originally treated as indentured servants and were eventually given freedom and land.

14. English Natives relations
As the colony grew there was a need for more land. This led to warfare between the English colonists and the Powhatan natives.
The English did not intermarry with the natives, but rather drove them away. War was always likely between the natives and any English colony.
The English forced the Powhatans to give them food and provide labor. If they refused the English burned their villages and took their children hostage.
One of these kidnapped children was Pocahontas, who later married John Rolfe in This helped to bring about temporary peace between the English and Powhatan.

15. King James acts
In 1622 the Powhatan had no more patience for the English settlers and attacked them, killing 340 settlers.
The Virginia company sent more troops and supplies, but the king of England had changed his mind about the charter.
King James I revoked the charter of Virginia and made it into a royal colony – Direct rule under the king.
By ,000 colonists lived in Virginia.

16. Two classes of people began to form in Virginia: the landowners with full rights and the former servants who had no land and no rights.
The frontier settlers, those living on the outskirts of the settlement, were constantly engaged in fighting with the Indians.
They asked the House of Burgesses (the Virginia legislature; see p.48) for help, but the government refused.
Nathaniel Bacon - a frontier settler, formed an army to fight the natives, but Governor Berkeley, the governor from England, declared the local army illegal.
Bacon turned his army towards Jamestown instead and burned much of it, forcing Berkeley to sail back for England.

17. Bacon died shortly after the rebellion.
Berkeley returned and disbanded the illegal army, who now had no leader.
Although Bacon’s Rebellion was not successful, it did get King Charles’ attention and he re- called Berkeley to England.