The Founding of Jamestown The English Tradition England

The Founding of Jamestown

The English Tradition • England was a monarchy limited by a lawmaking body called Parliament • English law limited the king’s power • English law guaranteed the right to trial by jury • Parliament had to approve taxes

England Seeks Colonies • England began to set up colonies in North America in the late 1500 s • Roanoke colony is established in 1585, but then abandoned • England tries one more time in Roanoke in 1587. By 1590, the colony mysteriously disappeared

Founding Jamestown • In 1607, a group of wealthy people formed the Virginia Company of London • They want to permanently settle in North America, looking for: – Gold or silver – Trade with Native Americans – Raw materials (grapes, mulberry trees, lumber)

Founding Jamestown • England’s King James I grants the company a charter • In 1607, 100 men build a fort in Chesapeake Bay, establishing the first permanent settlement: Jamestown

Jamestown, 1607

On the Brink of Failure • Jamestown almost fails in it’s first year, why? : – Colonists caught diseases (malaria) – English “Gentlemen” have no intention to work • Local Native Americans supplied some food to the colonists to survive

John Smith and the “Starving Time” • By 1608, 38 colonists were all that remained • John Smith is sent from London to take control • Sets the important rule: “He who works not, eats not. ” • Jamestown prospers, but Smith is sent back to England, initiating the “Starving Time” in the colony 1609 - 1610

Tobacco Saves Jamestown • Tobacco saves Jamestown and becomes very profitable • John Rolfe introduces a particular breed of tobacco he somehow found in South America • Virginia becomes stable enough to create a society with a government

The House of Burgesses • In 1619, Virginia creates a law making body called the House of Burgesses • The house is a representative democracy • The house marked the start of representative government in North America

The House of Burgesses

Africans Come to Virginia • In 1619, a Dutch ship arrives in Virginia and sells 20 slaves to the colonists in Jamestown • Slaves did not necessarily serve for life, but could earn their freedom • Permanent slavery is not established in Virginia until the late 1600 s