Virginia Company of London

Jamestown

England's first permanent colony in America. Planned to be a trading settlement by the Virginia
company of London. Investors paid 12 pounds and ten shillings.
 I think it’s a We can
good Idea. profit from
We will gain the gold,
from our furs, and
expense. lumber.

The investors of the Virginia

Company were called to
make a decision if this was a
good investment.
 Virginia company’s charter was granted
by King James I. It created Virginias
boundaries running “sea to sea.” No one
had any idea of the distance from sea to
sea.

Virginia

- boundary to the
Pacific!
 All right, let’s motor, baby!

Wow, that was quick!

Jamestown

105 men and boys of the Virginia Company set

sail on three ships: Susan Constant, Discovery,
and Godspeed. They landed April 26, 1607!
 WE WILL
NOT BE
ATTACKED!!!

Jamestown

The men settled 30 miles up the

James River so they would
never be attacked by Spain!
They were counseled by seven
men by the Virginia company!
Sir George Percy, wrote: “There wee There goes the
landed and discovered… Faire meadows neighborhood!
and goodly tall trees: with such fresh-
waters running through the woods, as I
was almost ravished at the first sight
thereof….”

Let’s name our

settlement
“Jamestown” in
honor of the king.
 We’re Equal! One in the same!
England

New World

With Liberty and Justice for both.

The King James decided to make the same liberties in

the New World as in England, and born in England.
 When the first arrived at Jamestown they built a fort.
They were so busy with the fort, that during the
winter they ran out of food. Disease also spread
through the colonists. By summer they only had 38
men left!!

I have to find a
new route to Asia!
See ya!

I’m going
to go dig
for gold!
1608-Captain John Smith, 27-years old swashbuckling soldier-of fortune, took charge and
saved the colony by imposing a WORK ETHIC. (half the settlers were gentlemen,
unaccustomed to work)
Guy brings water over
whenever someone swears for
there blisters
Gets a can of water
poured on hands
whenever he swears once
Powhatan discusses the Englishmen at Werowocomoco, 14 miles from Jamestown.

“No,
“No,let’s
let’swait
wait
“Chief, and
andsee.
see.Maybe
Maybe
“Chief,let’s
let’skill
kill we
them now before
them now before wecan
cantrade
trade
they with
withthem.”
them.”
theytake
takeour
our
land.”
land.”
The Indian Princess Pocahontas was friends with the english men after
saving John Smiths life when the Powhatan Indians captured him.
The friends began a time of good relations called The Peace of Pocahontas.

BFFS!
1612- Tobacco became Virginia's “gold” when John Rolfe
discovered a new way to cure it. Smoking became the
new rage in England and the Virginia company prospered
by exporting this CASH crop.

King James
says tobacco
Yes- But
is hazardous
look how
to your
the money
health.
is rolling
in!!!
 John rolfe married
pocahontas 1614 Pocahontas dies
1617

The virgin company brought them

back to london
The House of Burgesses met in the year 1619, in the
month of July. They assembled in Jamestown, Virginia.
Nearly 160 years later, in 1776, leaders from that same
Virginia assembly would grow accustomed to political
freedom and lead the colonies to independence from
England.

We will
lead the
colonies!
 Get out of my
lawn! This is my
Property now!

The new Headright System allowed private ownership. Every settler from
pre 1616 received a hundred acres of land and could purchase more from
that point on.
90 adventurous women arrived in 1619, sent by the Virginia
Company as wives for the Jamestown settlers. Each groom
paid 120 pounds of tobacco for his bride’s passage.

Thanks
for the
tobacco!
 I wanna
go
home!

20InAfricans
1619 two groups
were that weren’t
kidnapped included
and brought to in the VirginiaThey
Jamestown.
Company’s
were political
eventually freed,andbuteconomic freedoms
this started African were brought
slavery.
to Virginia.
In 1622, tragedy struck Virginia! On good Friday indians suprise attacked colonists
wiping out ¼ of the colony But 1000 of the 9000 indiands survived
1624-King James 1-did not like the representative government and used the massacre
and the Virginia Company’s financial issues as a reason to revoke the Company’s
charter and make Virginia a royal colony. Then he got rid of the House of Burgesses.
1639- King Charles 1 reinstated House of Burgesses.
Sir William Berkeley served as one of the first royally
appointed governors of Virginia (1642). Although an
able ruler, he had no use for freedoms.

“I thank God there are no free schools, nor

printing…for learning has brought
disobedience, and Hersey, and sects into the
world, and printing has divulged them, and
libels against the best Government. God
keeps us from both.”
 In the 1670s frontier settlers in western Virginia rebelled against the autocratic rule of Governor Berkeley.
He levied high taxes, while denying frontiersmen a voice in the government and protection against invading
Indians.
 In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon, a farmer, lead a rebellion against
Governor Berkeley, making him leave Jamestown, and burning the
town. Bacon suddenly died from an illness and with that, so did
the rebellion. King Charles II replaced Berkeley, making the colony
run harmoniously again.