The Jamestown Colony Lecture Notes

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key figures, events, and economic shifts of the Jamestown Colony from 1607 to 1624.

Jamestown Colony

The first permanent English settlement in North America, established on May 14, 1607, near present-day Williamsburg, Virginia.

Virginia Company of London

The private venture that financed and organized the Jamestown colony after receiving a charter from King James I on April 10, 1606.

Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery

The three ships under the command of Christopher Newport that transported the original 105 colonists to Chesapeake Bay.

Edward-Maria Wingfield

A major investor in the Virginia Company who served as the first president of the Jamestown colony.

John Smith

A former mercenary and colony leader who imposed discipline with the rule, 'He that will not worke shall not eate.'

Chief Powhatan

The head of the Powhatan empire, which consisted of most of the Indian tribes in the region where the colonists settled.

Christopher Newport

The commander of the initial fleet to Jamestown who returned to England with an over-optimistic report of the colony's condition in June 1607.

John Ratcliffe

The council member who replaced Edward-Maria Wingfield as president and was later criticized for ordering the construction of an overelaborate capitol building.

Mistress Forrest and Anne Burras

The first two women to arrive in the Jamestown colony, reaching the settlement in late September 1608.

Thomas Gates

The man appointed as the first governor under the new royal charter of 1609; he was temporarily shipwrecked in Bermuda before reaching Virginia.

George Percy

A nobleman and the eighth son of an earl who took over as the colony's leader after John Smith returned to England in 1609.

Dendrochronology

The study of tree rings, which revealed that Jamestown's early years occurred during a seven-year drought, the worst in eight centuries.

The Starving Time

The winter of 1609–10 during which the colony's population dropped from 500 to fewer than 100 due to famine, disease, and Powhatan's siege.

Thomas West, 12th baron de la Warr

The governor and captain-general of Virginia who arrived in June 1610 with 150 new settlers and supplies, preventing the abandonment of the colony.

Samuel Argall

A mariner who kidnapped Pocahontas in 1613 to ransom her for English prisoners and stolen tools held by the Powhatan.

Pocahontas

The daughter of Chief Powhatan who converted to Christianity and married John Rolfe, leading to an eight-year period of peace.

John Rolfe

A pioneering planter who transformed the colony's economy by developing a more palatable strain of tobacco from the West Indies.

General Assembly

The first representative government in English America, established on July 30, 1619, consisting of elected burgesses and company appointees.

Arrival of First Africans (1619)

The landing of more than 20 enslaved Africans in Jamestown after they were captured from a Portuguese slave ship by Dutch and English privateers.

Opechancanough

The brother and successor of Chief Powhatan who led a large-scale surprise attack on March 22, 1622, killing nearly one-third of the English population.

Royal Colony

The status Virginia transitioned to on May 24, 1624, after King James I dissolved the Virginia Company and took direct control of the government.

What was the virginias company plan?

Reward investors by locating gold and silver deposits and finding a river route to the Pacific Ocean for trade with the orient

What were the three ships that departed England in 1606

The Susan constant, the Godspeed, and the discovery led by Christopher Newport and landed at Chesapeake bay in 1607

Who were the members of the colony’s governing council

Newport, bartholomew gos old, Edward-Maria wing field, John Ratcliffe, George Kendall, John Martin, and capt. John smith.

What was smith accused of following wing fields start to his presidency

Plotting a mutiny during the ocean voyage which made his membership into the governing council delayed until June 10th.

What were the set backs and advantages of Jamestown

Marshy setting and humidity but ships could pull up close to it in deep water for easy loadind, it was unoccupied, and it was joined to the mainland only by a narrow neck of land making it easier to defend

What was the tribe that interacted with Jamestown and the chief of said colony?

Powhatan empire led by chief powhatan

Following a expedition where Newport took 5 colonists including johnsmit and 18 sailors what did they come back to find?

They found the colony had endured a surprise attack which they managed to drive the attackers away with the ships cannons

Newport left for his report to England on which ship

The Susan constant and the Godspeed plus he sent a positive report

What did the colony’s not achieve during wingfeilds presidency?

Not carried out the work in the springtime needed for the long haul, such as building up food stores and digging a freshwater well.

What was the first mass casualties caused by in 1607

Bad water from river, disease bearing mosquitos, and limited food rations created by a wave of dysentery, severe fevers, and other health problems which led to Edward-Maria wingfeild being ejected as president

What happened during ratcliffes presidency

-a fire that leveled colonists living quarters causing more reliance on Indian food supply

-devotion to a search for gold along the river banks which John smith objected to

-ratcliffe ordered the construction of an over elaborate capitol building which grew resentment and ended his presidency

What did John smith say as his new rule

He that will not worke shall not date (except by sickness he be disabled)

What happened during John smiths presidency

-still dependent on Indian food supply but survived winter and no one died of starvation

-ship brought first women

-president replaced by governor cutting his presidency short

-Thomas gates appointed new governor but lost a t sea

Who took over Jamestown after John smith left?

George Percy

What happened after smith left? (George Percy)

-chief powhatan campaign to starve Englishmen and kill any who came out of James town

-third year of sever drought

-all colonists from the wrecked ships survived and came to Jamestown, gates left and Thomas west became new governor.

What happened under west?

-demanded Powhatan return English tools as well as recent murderors

-state of war between Jamestown and Powhatan

West left after diseases suffering

Samuel argall?

Stole Pocahontas( chief daughter) while she was staying with the patawomeck(japazues was chief) and held her for ransom for English prisoners and tool

-tools did not come back so he took Pocahontas and she converted to Christianity and was taken to an English outpost called Heinrich’s

-she married John Rolfe in. 1614. Which had a minor peace period due to their marriage

John Rolfe

Replaced native tobacco whith more palatable plants from West Indies which increased demand in Great Britain and competed with Spanish Tobacco (obacco was hard on the land which increased the need for more land in Jamestown)

2 major changes in. Jamestown in summer of 1619

Introduction of representative government to English America. (Two burgesses to represent their colony out of the 4) male property owners voted +6 men elected by company(22 elected +6)

Arrival of first Africans in English America which diversified the colony population but also shifted the labor from indentured to slave.

What led to the native the art being less prominent

Following opechancanough’s attack epidemics decimated the native population which shrank as the English population grew.

This caused Englishmen to ignore the new boundary line.

What did the attack on Jamestown around 1623 lead to?

Political disagreements between James 1 and company’s leaders led to the king to investigate the company which it found a negative report so they took the colony into royal hands making it a royal colony, dissolving the Virginia company