APUSH: Jamestown

Virginia

Founded in 1607 by Virginia Company

Jamestown (1607)

1st permanent British colony in the New World. Founded by Virginia Company and received charter from King James I.

Main Goals of Jamestown

1) Promise of gold
2) Conversion of Indians to Christianity -just like Spain
3) New passage to the Indies
4) Consisted largely of well-to-do adventurers

Effects of Jamestown

Colony wracked by tragedy during early years: famine, diseases and war with the Indians.

Virginia Charter

Overseas settlers given same rights of Englishmen in England

Captain John Smith

Organized the colony beginning in 1608: "He who will not work shall not eat." Was kidnapped in 1607 by Powhatans and "saved" by Pocahantas at the age of 12.

Pocahantas

Eventually became a central figure in preserving peace in early Jamestown
She provided foodstuffs to settlers and became hostage of colonists in 1613 during military conflicts. Then later married John Rolfe & taught him Indian way of curing tobacco. Died of small pox at age 22.

John Rolfe & Tobacco Crop Economy

"Colony built on smoke"- Rolfe introduced new tough strain of tobacco. Tobacco industry became cornerstone of Virginia's economy. Plantation system emerged.

House of Burgesses

An assembly authorized by London Company in 1619. The 1st miniature parliament in the British American colonies. Representative self-government. Most representatives were substantial property owners. Created as an incentive to attract settlers to the Virginia "Death Trap".
Virginia Charter revoked by James I in 1624...King believed assembly to be seditious but also hated tobacco. Virginia became a royal colony directly under his control

Maryland

Charles I gave Sir George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, a portion of Virginia for Catholic haven and profit. Eventually, growth of Protestants meant Catholics rapidly becoming a minority; Catholics feared loss of religious freedom.

Act of Toleration (1649)

Guaranteed toleration to all Christians but instituted death penalty for anyone denying the divinity of Jesus (e.g. Jews & atheists). Motive: Catholics sought to protect their faith by granting certain degree of religious freedom.

Life in the Chesapeake

Disease took heavy toll -- malaria, dysentery, typhoid -- Half of all
born in early Virginia and Maryland did not live past age 20! Most immigrants were single men in late teens, early 20's; most died soon after arriving. Surviving males competed for extremely scarce women; women thus married early. Most men could not find mates. Region stabilized eventually due to increased immunities to disease and increased influx of women.

The Tobacco Plantation Economy

First Africans arrived in 1619, but probably were indentured servants in early 17th c. - White indentured servants more predominant until late 17th century.

"Headright" System

A person who paid for the passage of a white indentured servant received 50 acres of land.
Some planters used the system to acquire enormous tracts of land.

Indentured Servants

Agreed to specified years of
servitude in exchange for transatlantic passage (term of servitude was usually about 5 years)
After term of contract expired during early-mid 17th c., the servant
was often given some money, perhaps some land, and other goods to start their own farms. -- Eventually, former indentured servants were given little and could not succeed.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

By late 17th century large numbers of frustrated freedmen (former indentured servants) existed.
-Most lived in western Virginia; resented the planter aristocrats from the east.
-Many were too poor to own land and could not find wives (men still greatly outnumbered women)
-Freedmen did not gain access to large land grants in the east;
forced to squat for lands in western part of the colony.
-Indians resisted white expansion in western Virginia but freedmen
angry that government of Virginia did not do enough to protect white settlers from Indian attacks.

Significance of Bacon's Rebellion

Significance of Bacon's Rebellion
Planters saw white indentured servants as too difficult to control
and significantly increased importation of black slaves while reducing number of indentured servants.

Governor Berkeley

Was generally friendly toward Indians who
traded with the colony.
-House of Burgesses did not usually order attacks on Indians that cooperated with government.

Nathaniel Bacon

A 29-year-old aristocrat in western Virginia and member of House of Burgesses began mobilizing a militia to protect whites from Indians.
-In 1676, Bacon's militia massacred Indians and set fire to
Jamestown, chasing Governor Berkeley out of the city.
-Rebels opposed to aristocrats and Indians.
-Bacon subsequently died of disease; Berkeley crushed the rebellion