Topic 2 Lesson 2 2 I Roanoke A

Topic 2 Lesson 2. 2

I. Roanoke A. England was jealous of the colonies and riches other countries were gaining in the Americas. B. Sir Walter Raleigh raised money to establish a colony in North America with the blessing of Queen Elizabeth. C. In 1585 ~100 men set sail across the Atlantic. 1. Landed on Roanoke Island (off the coast of present-day NC) 2. Within a year, colonists had run short of food and were quarreling with Native Americans. 3. When an English ship stopped in the harbor, the settlers boarded to go home.

D. 1587 - Raleigh sent John White (one of the original colonists) back to Roanoke with a new group of settlers, including women and children. 1. White would return to England for more supplies, leaving behind 117 colonists. 2. Planned to return within a few months, but found England preparing for war with Spain so it took 3 years to get back. 3. Found settlement eerily quiet- no one was left. 4. Saw the word CROATOAN (name for a nearby island) carved on a tree. 5. Eager to investigate, but a storm blew up and his crew refused to stay. 6. No one knows what became of the colonists of Roanoke.

II. Jamestown A. Nearly 20 years after Roanoke, England tries once again to establish a colony in North America. B. 1606, the Virginia Company receives a charter from King James I, giving them the rights to settle lands along the eastern coast of North America. 1. Charter also guarantees colonists would have the same rights as English citizens. C. Spring 1607, 105 colonists arrive in Virginia. 1. Settle along James River in the Chesapeake Bay area. 2. Name the settlement Jamestown after the king. 3. First permanent English settlement in North America.

D. Settlers of Jamestown hoped to make a profit by finding gold or other riches. 1. Also hoped to find a water route to Asia and claim the region for England. E. Location chosen for security- Spanish ships would be unlikely to find them, and if they did, the Jamestown was easy to defend. F. Governing was challenging. 1. VA Company had chosen a council of 13 men to rule- most quarreled with one another and planned little for the colony’s future. 2. By summer of 1608, the colony was near failure.

G. Jamestown colonists faced starvation. 1. Not planting enough crops due to focus on finding gold. 2. Captain John Smith imposed rules that forced colonists to work to eat. 3. Settlers returned to starvation and cooked “dogs, cats, snakes, [and] toadstools. ” H. Economy finally improved with the growth of tobacco trade. 1. “New fad” caught on quickly in Europe and trade increased greatly. 2. Tobacco fields meant deforestation and a change to the landscape.

III. Government in the Colonies A. Jamestown originally run like a military outpost. B. To attract more settlers, VA Company installed a governor in 1619 to consult colonists on important matters. 1. Male settlers were allowed to elect burgesses, or representatives, to the gov’t. 2. Met in an assembly called the House of Burgesses. 3. Together with governor, they made all the laws for the colony. 4. Signified the beginning of representative gov’t in the English colonies.

C. Idea that people had political rights was rooted in English history. 1. Magna Carta in 1215 said that the king could not raise taxes without consulting a Great Council of nobles and church leaders. 2. Great Council grew into a representative assembly called Parliament. a) Divided into two houses, House of Lords (nobles) and House of Commons (elected) 3. Everyone, rich or poor, had to follow the same laws. D. At first, all VA male colonists could vote. 1. In 1670, restricted the right to vote to free, white male property owners.

E. Women in Jamestown arrived in 1608 to “help the men feel more settled. ” 1. VA Company profited from marriages by charging men 150 lbs of tobacco for a wife. 2. Had to work hard- made everything from scratch- food, clothing, even medicine. 3. Many died young from hard work or childbirth- by 1624 still fewer than 300 women compared to more than 1000 men.

IV. Africans arrive in Virginia A. 1619 - at least 15 black men and 17 black women already lived in VA. B. Dutch arrived with ~20 Africans and sold them to Virginians who needed laborers to grow tobacco. 1. While the colonists appreciated the agricultural skills the enslaved Africans brought with them, this was a journey into a brutal life of forced labor for the Africans. C. Some Africans became free planters, and for a time had the right to vote in VA.

V. Bacon’s Rebellion A. As more colonists arrived from England, including recently freed indentured servants, land became more scarce. 1. Colonists were forced to move inland onto Indian territory, causing conflict. 2. Sought help from the governor who refused partly because he profited from the fur trade with Indians. B. Finally in 1676, Nathaniel Bacon, a young planter, organized the angry men/women- including indentured servants. C. Raided American Indian villages, regardless if they were friendly towards the colonists or not. D. Led his followers to Jamestown and burned the capital. E. Bacon dies suddenly and the revolt is over. F. Governor hangs 23 of Bacon’s followers, but could not stop settlers from moving onto Indian territory. G. As a result, VA set up a system of laws replacing indentured servitude for lifelong slavery. 1. As slavery expanded, slaves also lost rights- including the right to vote.