PERIOD 2: THE ENGLISH SEEK AN
EMPIRE
How did the Virginia colony change and
evolve between 1607 and the 1670s?
JAMESTOWN:
• Established in 1607
• The Virginia Company= a joint stock company
-motivated to “propagate the Christian
religion” and “turn a profit” (pg. 43)
• Jamestown chosen for defense, ended up being bad
for the settlers health.
• John Smith: “If you don’t work, you don’t eat”
RELATIONS WITH NATIVES:
•
•
•
•
•
The Powhatan Confederacy.
Settlers were dependent on Indians to survive.
Jamestown was not ideal for farming.
Many settlers refused to farm.
9 months after arrival, only 38 of 105 settlers still
lived.
• Powhatan initially helped settlers in hopes for
trade, but motives were more based on
controlling them. (Story of John Smith’s “capture”)
How did the Virginia colony change and evolve
between arrival in Jamestown and “starving
time?”
1. Did it seem as if the colony would flourish?
2. How would you describe Indian relations?
1. not likely. By spring of 1610, 7 of every 8 original settlers
were dead. (pg 43)
2. still suspicious. Both sides seem to have a mutual interest
yet still sought to be independent from each other.
BEHOLD, TOBACCO!
• John Rolfe, 1612.
• Tobacco= gold; drastically improved the
outlook for Jamestown.
• Tobacco also had a major impact of
English/Indian relations.
• Exports increased dramatically as demand
rose.
• Led to an emphasis on Indentured servants.
JAMESTOWN BECOMES A ROYAL
COLONY:
• fighting with the Powhatan created many
problems.
• By 1623, King James took control of the
Virginia Company, making Jamestown a royal
colony.
• By 1646, Chesapeake Indians submitted to
English authority, and were essentially driven
from the coast.
EXPANDING THE COLONY:
• Establishment of Maryland, 1632
• Virginia Slave Law, 1662
• Bacon’s Rebellion, 1676
*What were the consequences of these
developments?
Write a thesis statement:
• How did the Virginia colony change and evolve
between 1607 and the 1670s?