U.S. History Honors Name: _____________________________________ Mr. Goodman Unit 2: English Colonies in Southern North America “Jamestown”, from Cayton, Perry, Reed and Winkler’s America: Pathways to the Present, 2007 (Modified) In 1606, several English businessmen made plans to establish another colony in the Americas. To do so, these businessmen first had to get a charter, or certificate of permission, from the king. The charter allowed them to form what is now called a joint-­‐
stock company – company funded and run by a group of investors who share the company’s profits as well as the risks and losses of such a project. In this way, if the colony failed, no one person would be solely responsible for paying for the losses. The English investors called their company the Virginia Company and started plans to build a colony in the Americas. In early 1607, the Virginia Company sent about 100 colonists to Virginia, the same region discovered and named by Sir Walter Raleigh two decades earlier. The colonists started a settlement about 60 miles from the mouth of the James River, in the Chesapeake Bay region. The settlers called the new village Jamestown in honor of their king, James I. Shortly after the arrival of the English settlers, about 200 Native Americans attacked them. It was only with the help of an English cannon that the settlers forced the Native Americans to retreat. About 14,000 Native Americans lived in the surrounding area. Most of them recognized the authority of one powerful group, the Powhatan people, named after their powerful chief, Powhatan. The English particularly honored Powhatan, paying him tribute in skins, beads and food. Within weeks of the first attack, several English colonists travelled to neighboring Native American villages to offer tributes of their own and to persuade the Native Americans that their intentions were good. Powhatan did not easily trust their intentions, and the Indians remained suspicious of the English settlers. Vocabulary Profits – money that is earned from a project after the initial costs of setting up the project had been paid for Tribute – a gift made to a ruler in order to show respect for their authority Standard: RH.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of information. 1. Is this a primary or secondary source? Cite evidence to show which kind of a source it is. MORE QUESTIONS ON THE BACK!!! U.S. History Honors Name: _____________________________________ Mr. Goodman Unit 2: English Colonies in Southern North America 2. Cite evidence that the King of England supported the plan to establish English colonies in North America. 3. Cite evidence showing that the English businessmen were worried that establishing a colony in the Americas was a project that might not pay off. 2. Cite evidence you could use to find out who was the King of England at the time that the Jamestown colony was established. 3. Cite evidence showing how English military technology played a crucial role in the survival of the Jamestown colony. 4. Cite evidence showing that more than one group of Native Americans lived in the region nearby Jamestown. 5. Cite evidence showing that the English colonists felt it was important to build a positive relationship with the local Native Americans. U.S. History Honors Name: _____________________________________ Mr. Goodman Unit 2: English Colonies in Southern North America