Unit 3A: Early Jamestown

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the key terms, people, causes, and survival factors from Unit 3A: Early Jamestown.

Virginia Company of London

The English company that received a royal charter from King James on April 10, 1606, giving them the power to establish and govern the Jamestown settlement.

King James

The King of England who granted the 1606 charter allowing the Virginia Company of London to establish a colony and govern it by making their own laws.

Charter of the Virginia Company of London

A legal document that permitted the settlement of Jamestown, defined its physical boundaries, and guaranteed that English settlers retained the same rights as people living in England.

Economic Motives of English Colonization

The desire of England to gain wealth, power, and valuable raw materials—such as timber and hoped-for gold—to become a richer and more powerful nation.

Jamestown Site Advantages

Geographic benefits of the location:

-water deep enough for large ships to dock close to shore

-good defense against Spanish ships

-lots of timber/lumber.

Jamestown Site Disadvantages

Location Disadvantages:

-marshy land filled with mosquitos that carried diseases like malaria

-unsafe, salty drinking water.

Early Jamestown Hardships

Severe struggles faced by the colonists, including widespread sickness and disease, a lack of fresh drinking water, starvation, and men who were unskilled and lazy.

Captain John Smith

The leader of the Jamestown colony who helped the settlers survive early hardships by instituting and enforcing a strict rule:

"no work, no eat" rule.

"No work, no eat" Rule

A survival policy established by Captain John Smith that required colonists to work and contribute to the colony if they wanted to receive food.

Powhatan People

The Native American group who assisted early English settlers by teaching them how to hunt animals and farm new crops like corn, though conflicts later arose over land and resources.

John Rolfe

A Jamestown settler who learned how to successfully cultivate tobacco to sell for money, providing the colony with a profitable trade good.

Tobacco

The vital cash crop grown and sold for profit that ensured the economic survival and long-term success of the Jamestown colony.