Tobacco in Jamestown · sure to fail as an English colony if it had not been for a discovery by John Rolfe; tobacco farming. ... intente is to establish one equall and uniforme kinde

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Tobacco in Jamestown Key concepts you will learn about at this station:

Free Enterprise/Free Trade -The development of business and trade supported by the idea that government should not restrict business and trade activities.

amestown was settled in 1607, but within a year, in 1608, most of settlers had died from malaria or

dysentery. Not only was the population dwindling,

but England relied on the colonies’ economic

exploits

in order to keep supporting colonization. However,

economically speaking, Jamestown was due for

failure.

They had tried silk making, glassmaking, lumber

farming, sassafras, pitch and tar, and soap ashes,

but were

unable to find any success. Jamestown was almost

sure to fail as an English colony if it had not been

for a discovery by John Rolfe; tobacco farming.

Tobacco was native to North America and the

West Indies, and up to that point, the Spanish had

control of tobacco farming and the tobacco

market. Although Virginia at the time did grow a

small amount of tobacco, it was the Spanish variety

that was favored by the English. Rolfe, who was

married to the daughter of the Powhatan chief,

Pocahontas, learned how to dry and cure the

tobacco leaf, so that it smoked “smoked pleasant, sweete, and strong.” Upon returning from a visit to the

Caribbean, he planted tobacco, cured it the way he learned from Pocahontas, making the new crop of

J

Tobacco plant and leaf

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Virginia’s cash export crops. This in turn made Jamestown an important colony for the economy of Great

Britain.

1. List two reasons why the invention of tobacco farming in Jamestown was important to the

economy of Great Britain.

2. Why was John Rolfe able to succeed a farming tobacco in Jamestown?

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The life of an indentured servant Key concepts you will learn about at this station:

Economic Opportunity -The strong belief that in America opportunities are available to better a person’s economic

situation.

he many new opportunities in the English colonies called to many Europeans, some of whom were

not able to afford the travel to the new world. Because of this, in return for food, shelter, and a paid trip

across the Atlantic, they agreed to be indentured servants. Indentured servants agreed to work for their

employer for about five to seven years, after which they were free to go live their own lives. From the 1630s

to the time of the American Revolution, nearly one-half to two-thirds of all white immigrants in the New

World were indentured servants.

The life of an indentured servant was not easy. He or she

could not marry without permission of their master, and

they were often subject to harsh physical punishments. If

a female indentured servant became pregnant, her term

of indenture was lengthened, to make sure she served out

her entire term of service. Some indentured servants

T

An indentured servant ’ s contract


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were also taken unwillingly from Europe, and made to work in the colonies without their consent.

Unlike slaves, however, indentured servants were

guaranteed to be released from bondage eventually, at

which time they would receive their “freedom dues”

payment and became free citizens. The right to an

indentured servant’s labor could be sold, meaning that they

would have to work for another master, but the person as a

piece of property could not be sold.

1. Compare and contrast a similarity and difference between indentured servants and slaves.

2. Explain why you think someone would sell themselves into indentured servitude.


The house of burgesses Key concepts you will learn about at

this station: Republicanism - People

have a voice in government.

n 1619, the elected representatives from the Virginia

Colony met to create what would become America’s first

legislative

body, the House of Burgesses. This democratically elected

lawmaking body, met from 1619 until the American Revolution,

when the Virginia Constitution created a new General

I

A reconstructed chamber of the House of Burgesses

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Assembly that replaced it. Many of America’s Founding Fathers

were member of the House of Burgesses, including George

Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick

Henry.

The following is a report on the manner of proceedings in the General Assembly convened at Jamestown.

1. Carefully read through the above quote by John Pory. In your own words, describe what the last

sentence is saying.

2. Explain why the House of Burgesses was an important development in the creation of the United

States.

But forasmuch as men's affaires doe litle prosper where God's service is neglected, all the Burgess-

es tooke their places in the [church] Quire till a prayer was said by Mr. Bucke, the Minister, that it

would please God to guide and sanctifie all our proceedings to his own glory and the good of this

Plantation ... The Speaker ... delivered in briefe to the whole assembly the occasions of their

meeting. Which done he read unto them the commission for establishing the Counsell of Estate

and the general Assembly, wherein their duties were described to the life ... And forasmuch as our

intente is to establish one equall and uniforme kinde of government over all Virginia.

– John Pory (July 30, 1619)


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Geography of the us colonies Key concepts you will learn about at this station:

War - In order for America to gain independence and maintain or expand its borders,

war became inevitable.

Instructions: Analyze the map of the 13 colonies in 1776 to the left and answer the following questions:


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exports of the colonies Key concepts you will learn about at this station:

1. Which foreign power controls the territory directly to the south of the 13 US colonies?

. According to this map, 2

how many different

powers would the colonies

have to come in conflict

with, if they wanted to

expand to the west or to the

south? List them.

. List the 13 original US 3

colonies.


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Economic development - The American economy was able to transform from a nation of independent farmers to an industrial giant due to capitalist values and an

entrepreneurial spirit.

Study the chart below and answer the following questions regarding exports of the US colonies:

1. Which area produced the

largest export amount of

products?

2. What were the largest export

crops from the Middle

Colonies, Chesapeake, and the

Lower South for this

timeframe?

3. Study your answer from #2.

What does the difference

between these three export

crops tell you about the

geography of the US colonies?

( ships, lumber and rum )


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The fight for new york Key concepts you will learn about at this station:

War - In order for America to gain independence and maintain or expand its borders, war

became inevitable Negotiations - Often America had to negotiate in order to acquire

territory.

ew York, the state that contains the largest city in the United States, wasn’t always New York. The

original

English colonies were often grants of land from the English monarch to one of his constituents, and in

this case, the king had awarded his brother, James, the Duke of York, a grant of land in the Americas. The

problem was that part of this area was already claimed by the Dutch, who called it New Netherland.

In 1664, the English sent a fleet of warships to New Netherland to gain control of the land from the Dutch,

who surrendered quickly. Seven years later, in 1673, the Dutch attempted to take back New Netherland, but

after a year of fighting, the land was firmly

in the hands of the English. The English

renamed the area New York, after the

king’s brother.

1. I

n your own words, explain why New

Netherland became New York. area for

themselves.

2. W

here did the name “New York” come

from?

3. C

arefully study the map to the left. Find

N


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New Amsterdam. What current US city and

state is located in the area of New

Amsterdam in the map shown here?

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Population of the us colonies Key concepts you will learn about at this station:

Economic Opportunity -The strong belief that in America opportunities are available to

better a person’s economic situation.

The following tables illustrate the estimated population of the US colonies, from 1610 to 1780.

Year Population

1760 1,593,600

1770 2,148,100 1780 2,780,400

1. In 1750, which of the original 13 US colonies had the smallest population? Which had the largest?

2. In the decade from 1610 to 1620, approximately how much did the population increase? In the decade

from 1770 to 1780, approximately how much did the population increase?

1610 350

1620 2,300

1630 4,600

1640 26,600

1650 50,400

1660 75,100

1670 111,900

1680 151,500

1690 210,400

1700 250,900

1710 331,700

1720 466,200

1730 629,400

1740 905,600

1750 1,170,800 Graphic representation of the population of US colonies in 1750

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3. In 1750, where were the colonies with the largest populations located (north, south, middle)? What

does this tell you about the US colonies?


Differences between the colonies Key concepts you will learn about at this station:

Diversity -There are a variety of people in America.

Labor Systems -The establishment of various systems of labor used in American business.

Economic Opportunity -The strong belief that in America opportunities are available to better a person’s economic situation.

The following chart illustrates some of the differences

between the US colonies by region:

1. Compare and

contrast the economies of the Northern and the Southern

colonies. Discuss how these differences could have led to

future confrontations between the two regions.

2. Joshua is

immigrating with his family from England, and he is escaping

persecution for his religious beliefs. Which region of US

colonies might be best-suited for him and his family, and why?

Culture Established colonies for religious freedom and a new way of life.

Established colonies as economic ventures, looking for natural resources to provide material wealth.

Socio-political structure was varied, and welcomed people from diverse lifestyles.

Economy Primarily specialized in nautical and boating equipment, and shipbuilding. Later developed mills and factories.

Diverse workforce of farmers, fishermen, and merchants. Rich farmland and moderate climate, ideal for small to large farms. Coastal lowlands provided vast trading opportunities.

Primarily agricultural, small amount of cities and schools. Fertile farmlands, leading to the rise of large cash crops such as rice, tobacco, and indigo, as well as the development of plantations, which utilized slave labor.

Social Life

Connected to the church and village community.

Diverse backgrounds created a socially rich atmosphere.

Vast, flat, rural terrain made socializing difficult. Large farms with slaves and owners formed self sustaining communities.

Separation of North, Middle and Southern colonies

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3. Frederick is appointed by his English Lord to go to the Americas

and set up a business. He has a vast amount of experience in

farming tobacco in the Caribbean. Which region of US colonies

might be best-suited for Frederick, and why?


Documents

Tobacco in Jamestown · sure to fail as an English colony if it had not been for a discovery by John Rolfe; tobacco farming. ... intente is to establish one equall and uniforme kinde