1. English Colonization- Jamestown (Part 2)
Coach Kuntz
United States History

2. Representative Government
-At the beginning, the colony was run by a governor who was sent by the Virginia Company.
The Governor ran the colony like a military outpost
Strict laws made the colony an unattractive location for potential colonists
-In 1619, the Virginia Company sent a new governor to oversee the colony and the colonists were allowed to elect “burgesses” to represent them on all important matters. They met in a building known as the House of Burgesses.
-This was the first representative government in the English colonies.

3. Slavery in Jamestown
-Slavery was a part of Jamestown almost from the beginning.
-15 black men and 17 black women were already in the colony in 1619 and 20 African slaves were brought to the colonies that same year.
-Because tobacco was so valuable, the slaves were needed to help work the tobacco farms and grow the crop.
-By 1644, there were approximately Africans living in the Jamestown colony.

4. Review
What was Jamestown’s government like at the founding of the colony? How had Jamestown’s government changed by 1620? Why? Why was slavery important to the Jamestown colonists?