Ch 2 Sect 2 English Settlement at Jamestown

Ch 2/ Sect 2: English Settlement at Jamestown

Joint-Stock Company • too expensive for one to finance colony • stock sold to investors money pooled - share profit or divide losses • investors = nobles and religious dissenters • charter (contract) granted by monarch to establish a colony • earliest ones failed (Roanoke the 1 st)

Jamestown Settlement (in Virginia) • 1607: Jamestown colony settled by Englishmen • must generate wealth or lose financial support • spent most of time searching for gold little time farming - food supplies decrease - malaria - harsh winter • after first year, 38 of original 144 survived

“Work or Starve” • John Smith (leader) strict discipline on colonists - must farm 4 hours/day • 1609 -1610 = “Starving Time” - Smith back to England (gunpowder burn) - supply ship sank • King takes control of colony from investors

Tobacco Trade • start growing tobacco export to England • labor force grew - indentured servants = free voyage if work for 4 to 7 years - headright system = 50 acres of land for every inhabitant brought • Jamestown thrived

Powhatans (Native Am tribe) • at first helped colonists • during “starving time” colonists raided NA food supply - responded by attack • cultural differences - colonists believed in land ownership - NA land owned by all, not individuals • brutal fighting ended in 1645

The Virginia House of Burgesses • expected same rights as in England raising own representative assemblies • VA H of B = first popularly elected legislature in the colonies - met once a year with local governor (overseer of colony)

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) • poor, landless opposed wealthy • wanted to fight NAs for land lower taxes denied by governor • took control of H of B and burned Jamestown • governor hung colonists angering King • H of B passed law to prevent governors from ever assuming power (1 st step to end tyranny)