JAMESTOWNThe first permanent English settlement in North America

S T U D Y G U I D E

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Powhatan

* Powhatan was chief of many tribes, headquartered in Werowocomoco, a large Indian town used by Indian leaders for hundreds of years before the English arrived.

* At first, he allowed his people to trade with the English. They traded food for tools, pots, and copper.

* At first, he allowed his people to teach the colonists how to successfully grow corn and tobacco.

* Eventually, he saw the colonists as invaders.

Pocahontas, his daughter, was a

contact between the English and the Indians.

American Indians

The EnglishWhy start a colony?

The English wanted to start a colony in America for gold and glory!

England would gain power (glory) by expanding it’s empire.

They hoped to find gold, silver, and raw materials (natural resources) to make $$$$$. (gold)

They wanted to open new markets for trade. (more gold)

How did they do it? The king of England issued

a charter to the Virginia Company of London to start a colony.

The Virginia Company paid for the settlement in hopes of making money later.

Later, the king issued another charter giving the colonists English rights.

Jamestown 1607

Why there? It was on a peninsula, safe

from Spanish attacks. Good harbor ~ deep water,

good for ships. Fresh drinking water...or so

they thought.Hardships

Marshy location (good for mosquitos, bad for humans)

Unsafe drinking water Poor survival skills Many died of starvation and

diseaseHow they survived

Supply ships arrived Emphasis on agriculture

(A.K.A. growing food) Leadership of John Smith

who traded with the Indians and made people work.

Because of the rich soil, agriculture (farming) was the colony’s primary source of wealth.The most profitable cash crop was...

tobacco

They sold it to people in England. To make even more money, they began using slaves to work in tobacco. It was a steady source of inexpensive labor.

Making Money

They were people of African decent

Captured by Portuguese sailors from present-day Angola.

They arrived in Jamestown in the summer of 1619.

Government in Jamestown

Virginia Assembly

Called by the governor in 1619

Two “burgesses” from each area met to make laws.

They were men elected by the people.

Settlers controlled their government.

Virginia House of Burgesses

By the 1640’s it became separate from the Governor’s Council.

Government Today

General Assembly of VA

Dates back to 1619 and is the first elected legislative body in English America.

JAMESTOWNThe first permanent English settlement in North America

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Women

In 1620, a large group of unmarried women were sent to Jamestown to start families.

S T U D Y G U I D E

Massa Lacus Mostie ut Libero Nec, Diam et Pharetra Sodales eget Vitae Aliquet

Whenever people settle an area, they bring their culture with them.

Architecture changes: Things like homes, barns and churches.

Names of places reflect culture.

Richmond is English

Roanoke is Indian

Who settled Virginia?

English and Africans settled the Coastal Plain and Piedmont

Germans and Scots-Irish settled the Valley and Ridge Region

Indians lived all over the state

Capital Moved from Jamestown to Williamsburg

Contaminated drinking water

Unhealthy living conditions

Fired destroyed the buildings

Moved from Williamsburg to Richmond

People were moving westward

It was more centrally located

It meant the English would have to travel farther to attack.

Economy There were no banks

Few people had paper money, so they bartered instead.

Tobacco was a valued barter item.

Farmers could buy on credit and pay their debts when their crops came in.

Culture

Most people lived in one room houses with dirt floors. A few people (farmers) lived in large houses.

If you are white, you make your living as a small farmer.

If you are a free African, you have a few civil rights. You may own land or a business.

If you are a slave, you have no rights at all! You work in tobacco fields or raise livestock.

Food choices were limited. You had to make do with produce and meat that was available locally.

Most people made their own clothes out of cotton, wool, and leather.

Food and Clothing

Daily Life

LIFE IN THE COLONYS T U D Y G U I D E

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