N: #12 England’s First Colonies

A: None

P: Take out a blank sheet of paper for notes. Add #12 England’s 1st Colonies to you Table of Contents.

Don’t you just love Wednesday?

All Map Make-up Quizzes must be complete by Friday!!!

Jamestown In 1606, King James I of

England granted rights to the Virginia Company of London to establish a colony in the Americas.

In England, the Virginia Company tried to lure colonists to come to Virginia implying that the new world was littered with gold and gems. This was a 17th century “get rich quick” scheme. King James (of Cleveland)

Jamestown April 26th, 1607 – The Virginia Company

sailed three boats (Susan Constant, Discovery and Godspeed) into the Chesapeake Bay area and up a river they called the James River.

They decided on a location about 30 miles inland because they wanted a safe location that could not be seen by passing Spanish ships in the Atlantic. This new settlement was called Jamestown, in honor of King James.

Trouble Trouble Trouble..

The new colony immediately faced some issues as starvation, disease and illnesses were widespread. Within a year, the vast majority of colonists died.

Captain John Smith took over control of the colony and demanded that everyone began farming. This helped, but after being wounded in 1609 he was forced to return to England.

Things Improve Lord De La Warr ,

John Smith’s replacement started installing very strict rules that made it so everyone was forced to farm and if they refused they faced imprisonment and even death.

Tobacco Tobacco was a very easy to grow crop in

Virginia thanks to the rich soil and warm climate.

An experienced farmer named John Rolfe send tobacco back to England and it became a huge success. Jamestown became a huge producer of Tobacco to try and meet European demand.

English settlers kidnapped the daughter of a native chief, Powhatan. His daughter would become the famous Pocahontas.

Pocahontas There was a

temporary peace between the natives and the settlers when Pocahontas married John Rolfe. This peace allowed for the colony to grow instead of worry about survival.

New Colonists at Jamestown

Young people in England were recruited in order to serve as apprentices to colonists already in Virginia.

Indentured servants were also recruited to work in the colonies and their trip and supplies would be paid for in exchange for 7 years of work.

By 1619, the first African slaves were being brought over to work the fields.

Colonists Gain Autonomy

In 1619, the Virginia Company allows the colonists to elect their own leaders.

2 Men from each of the now 11 settlements were now part of a government called the House of Burgesses.

This style of government became the standard for settlements in all of the colonies.

Quick Quiz Where did colonists build the first

permanent English colony in North America?

How did John Smith help save Jamestown?

What changes took place in Jamestown in 1619?

What is the difference between an indentured servant and a slave?