Virginia and the House of Burgesses Pgs

13 English Colonies Virginia was the first permanent English colony in North America. England now controlled 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America. Settlement of the 13 colonies began in 1607 with Jamestown and ended with the settlement of Georgia in 1733.

Virginia Jamestown was the first successful settlement in Virginia because of the huge profits made from selling tobacco. By 1619 Virginia had more than 1,000 settlers. The population included men, women, and paid African workers who worked in the tobacco fields.

Slavery By 1660 all Africans coming to the colonies were slaves. In 1661 the Virginia colony made it legal to enslave Africans. Why?

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was Virginia’s colonial assembly. A burgess is a representative who speaks for other people. The House of Burgesses was a group of wealthy landowners who grew and sold tobacco. This was the first assembly of lawmakers in the English colonies.

King Tobacco For a time tobacco was the main reason for the growth of the Virginia colony and the success of the Virginia Company. At first King James I objected to the sale of tobacco. King James said that using tobacco was “a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs.”

Trouble for the Virginia Company In 1624 the Virginia Company went out of business because of poor leadership. The king was quick to make Virginia a royal colony. This allowed him to rule Virginia and to keep its tobacco profits for himself.