1. It all Started with the Lost Colony…
Sir Walter Raleigh given rights to claim land for Queen Elizabeth in August 1587
1st sends Philip Amadas and Arthur Bartlowe to check out sites
Find Roanoke Island off coast of NC
They depend too much on NA’s, strain relations, 1st attempt fails

2. 2yrs later Raleigh sends John White and more men
White has to return to England for supplies and gets stuck there for 3yrs due to war with Spain
White left his daughter there and his grand daughter is born– Virginia Dare– 1st English child born in the new world

3. When White returns, the settlement is abandoned, supplies left, no bodies
Only clue is word “Croatoan” carved several places nearby
White can’t search because of a hurricane, returns to England
No one knows what happened to settlers, Croatan Indians kill them? Live with them? Went and settled in mainland NC?

4. Lets try it again
In 1605, a company of English merchants asked King James I for the rights to create a settlement
In 1606, the king granted the request to settle in a region called Virginia.
Yes, you may
settle in Virginia.

5. Founding a New Colony
The English merchants formed a joint-stock company called the London Company
Allowed the group to share the cost and risk of creating the colony
105 colonists arrived in America and founded Jamestown, the 1st permanent English colony in North America.

7. Location of Jamestown
When the settlers first arrived, Jamestown was located on a narrow peninsula bordered on three sides by the James River. Today Jamestown is located on an island in the James River.
Jamestown

8. Reasons for the Location of Jamestown
The location could be easily defended from attack by sea by the Spanish.
The water along the shore was deep enough for ships to dock.
Believed to be a good supply of fresh water.

9. The colonists were NOT well prepared
Most of the colonists who came to Jamestown were adventurers with no farming experience or useful skills
By the time winter arrived, 2/3 of the original colonists DIED
Many of the colonists died from malaria (mosquito bites)

10. Primary Source Analysis
“Nay, so great was our famine, that a Salvage we slew, and buried, the poorer sort tooke him up againe and eat him, and so did divers one another boyled and stewed with roots and herbs: And one amongst the rest did kill his wife, powdered [i.e. salted] her, and had eaten part of her before it was knowne, for which hee was executed, as hee well deserved; now whether shee was better roasted, boyled or carbonado’d, I know not, but of such a dish as powdered wife I never heard of.”
Source: John Smith’s Account of the Starving Time,
How did settlers attempt to stave off starvation? (CITE evidence)
How did starvation affect the way that settlers treated one another? (CITE evidence)

11. Captain John Smith
As leader of the Jamestown Colony he helped to restore order with one simple rule “He that will not work, will not eat.”
He forced settlers to work harder and to build houses
Rewarded good workers with food
He also initiated trading relationships with the Powhatan Indian tribes lead by Chief Powhatan.

12. Which was the REAL
Smith?

13. Smith is saved!

14. John Rolfe married Pocahontas, who was the daughter of the Powhatan leader
He began experimenting with growing tobacco, eventually using seeds grown in the West Indies to develop Virginia’s first profitable export.
Their marriage helped the colonists form more peaceful relations with the Powhatan natives
The couple sailed to England with their infant son in 1616; seven months later, Pocahontas died as they prepared to travel home.

15. Daily Life In Virginia People lived on farms instead of towns
People grew tobacco on plantations (large farms)
Tobacco was so valuable that it was sometimes used as money ($$)

16. The Headright System
The headright system: colonists who paid to come to Virginia from England received 50 acres of land
A colonist could earn another 50 acres of land for every additional person brought over from England
Rich colonists who brought servants or relatives to Virginia were given BIG pieces of land!

17. Indentured Servants
Many colonists were dying, which led to worker shortages
Many of the workers in Virginia were called indentured servants
These men signed a contract to work for 4 to 7 years for the colonists who paid to come to Virginia

18. Women Come to Jamestown
The first women settlers came Jamestown in 1620.
The arrival of women made it possible for the settlers to establish families and a more permanent settlement at Jamestown.

19. Africans Come to Jamestown
Africans arrived in Jamestown against their will in 1619.
It is believed that they arrived as baptized Christians and therefore were labeled indentured servants for a period of 5 to 7 years.
The arrival of Africans made it possible to expand the tobacco economy.

21. The first government
1st Representative (elected) Government is formed– House of Burgesses

22. Virginia House of Burgesses
The Virginia house of Burgesses was the first elected legislative body in America giving settlers the opportunity to control their own government.
It became the General Assembly of Virginia, which continues to this day.

23. Everything wasn't perfect though...
Colonial officials began to ask for more taxes from the colonists
Poor colonists protested the taxes and were mad at the close relationship the colony had with the Native Americans
1676: a group of former indentured servants led by Nathaniel Bacon attacked some Indians
This attack was called Bacon’s Rebellion
revolution