Migration to Virginia
Early American Social History
Term 1 Week 3
After Roanoke
• Delays until accession of
James I (1603-25)
• Role of Merchants
• 1606 charters given to
Virginia Company of
London and Virginia
Company of Plymouth to
settle between 34 and 45
degrees N latitude, (NC to
Maine)
The Virginia Company
• Constitution and purpose
• Recruitment
• 3 ships (Godspeed,
Discovery and Susan
Constant)
• Arrives Jamestown May
1607
James Fort
Migrants
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All migrants before 1618 = male, most young (under 25)
Campbell / Galenson debate over social status
Main motivation = economic
Religious motivations?
Imp of indentured labour
Problems of
Authority
• Sources of Authority
• Virginia’s crisis of
authority
• John Smith
The ‘Starving Time’
• “of five hundred within six months after Captain Smith’s
departure, there remained not past sixty men, women and
children, most miserable and poor creatures; and those were
preserved for the most part, by roots, herbs, acorns, walnuts,
berries, now and then a little fish: they that had starch in these
extremities, made no small use of it: yea even the very skins
of our horses….so great was our famine that a savage we
slew and buried, the poorer sort took him up again and ate
him; and so did diverse one another boiled and stewed with
roots and herbs; and one amongst the rest did kill his wife,
salted her, and had eaten part of her before it was known, for
which he was executed, as he well deserved; now whether
she was better roasted, boiled or grilled, I know not; but of
such a dish as powdered wife I never heard of.”
Laws Divine, Moral
and Martial
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Introduced 1611
Purpose
Backlash
Response
Economic Development
• Tobacco 1612.
• Rapid growth of production, 2,000 lbs in
1615, 1.5m lbs 1629
Native Americans
• Powhatan confederacy
more powerful than
English, c.10,000+ in
1620
• Importance of Powhatan
(Wahunsenacawh)
• Evolution of relationship
Powhatan’s Mantle
Given by Powhatan to Capt John
Newport, December 1608, now in
the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
Central figure possibly
representing Powhatan himself
Animal figures (?Mountain lions?)
representing strength
Circles perhaps referring to other
villages/tribes subordinate to
Powhatan.
1622 Massacre
Aftermath of 1622
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Native American hopes vs reality
Different styles of war
English ascendency
Remaining factors of instability
– Political
– Demographic