Jamestown Colony

After the failure of Roanoke, it would be more than 15 years before England would try and colonize North America

In 1606, several groups of merchants requested charters from the King so they could colonize

After Roanoke

The Virginia Company managed to receive a charter from the king.

The Virginia Company was a joint-stock company.

In 1606 the Company sent 144 settlers to North America in search of gold.

The Virginia Company

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Jamestown

In April of 1607, ships entered the Chesapeake Bay and settled the colony.

Colony was called Jamestown in honor of England’s King James I.

The colony was built on a peninsula so it could be easily defended.

Jamestown

The drawback of the colony’s location included the fact that the land was swampy and humid.

Also, there was no good farm land.

Jamestown

Investors of the colony expected the settlers to find gold and silver quickly.

So the colonists searched for gold and silver rather than growing crops for food.

By 1608 when more supplies and settlers arrived in Jamestown, 38 colonists survived.

Jamestown

John Smith became the governor and quickly forced the colonists to work explore the area and make friends with the Natives.

Smith helped Jamestown become friendly with the tribe led by Chief Powhatan.

John Smith

In August of 1609, 400 more settlers arrived.

In October, Smith left and the colonists went back to doing nothing.

When the winter of 1609-1610 ended, most of the colonists died

Only 60 colonists survived the winter known as “The Starving Time”

John Smith

Colonists failed to find gold and silver but they did find another way to make money.

John Rolfe arrived in Jamestown with tobacco seeds and soon the colony flourished with tobacco farms.

John Rolfe

Rolfe was also successful at fixing relationships with the Native Americans.

He ended up marrying Chief Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas.

John Rolfe

Rolfe also removed farming restrictions for the colonists. Instead of the farming plots belonging to everyone, colonists could rent plots.

What grew on those plots belonged to the colonists.

This encouraged more colonists to participate in growing food and tobacco.

John Rolfe

Until 1619 colonists lived under strict rules set by The Virginia Company.

In 1619, ten towns in the colony sent 2 representatives called burgesses to an assembly.

This assembly would create and enforce laws in the colony.

Government in the colony

In 1624, King James felt that the Virginia Company had not made enough money.

So he canceled the company’s charter and Jamestown became a royal colony.

Government in the colony

In 1619, 90 more women were sent to the colony. This was to encourage people to have families.

Also in 1619, the first 20 slaves arrived. Until 1640, most slaves were freed and given their own land.

The first African American born in the colonies was a free man.

More people in Jamestown