Bell Ringer
1. What states surround Virginia today?
2. What do you think a cash crop is?
(definition or example)
3. What is your definition of slavery?
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SSUSH1a
• Explain Virginia’s development; include
the Virginia Company, tobacco cultivation,
relationships with Native Americans such
as Powhatan, development of the House
of Burgesses, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the
development of slavery.
Virginia
• Location: Chesapeake
region of North America
• Settled in 1609 by the
Virginia Company
• Many of the settlers were
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX
“gentlemen”
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• The first English
settlement was Roanoke
• The first permanent
English settlement:
Jamestown, on the
banks of the James River
The Virginia Company
• The Virginia Company was formed
with a charter from King James I in
1606. It was a joint-stock company
in charge of settling Virginia. It was
in charge of finding people willing to
go, supplies needed for the journey,
and ships. As people died on the
venture and after arrival, support for
the Virginia Company decreased.
The charter was revoked in 1624
and Virginia became a Royal
Colony. http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title
=Jamestown_Settlement&video_id=19705
3 Minute Review
• What was the first permanent English
settlement in North America?
• What is a joint-stock company?
• Who is the leader of a Royal Colony?
Tobacco Cultivation
• The colonists tried to make many products that would
be profitable back in England such as silk making,
glassmaking, and lumber, all with no success.
• John Rolfe experimented with tobacco until he made a
type that would be profitable for the Virginia Company.
Left: Tobacco
Right: John
Smith and
Pocahontas
Bell Ringer
• Where was the first PERMANENT colony
located in North America?
• What was the name of the English firm
that planned to make money by sending
people to America to find gold and other
natural resources?
• What crop became an important source of
wealth for Virginia?
Settlers Relations with Native Americans
• When the settlers landed they
were met with hostility from
the Native Americans, but
were soon offered food and
became somewhat
dependant on the Native
Americans because the
settlers did not want to plant
corn, etc. The settlers wanted
to “get rich quick”.
• Captain John Smith helped
the colony survive by trading
with the Native Americans,
but when the Natives didn’t
give him what he wanted he
took it by force causing
hostile feelings.
Settlers Relations with Native Americans, cont.
• The Native Americans began
attacking settlers, killing their
livestock, and burning plants.
• The settlers attacked back and
when Chief Powhatan died
hostilities rose.
• Once Powhatan died, his brother,
Opechancanough, became chief. He
and his tribe waited until 1622, then
they fiercely attacked killing 350
colonists. A direct result was that the
colony then went under Royal
control.
House of
Burgesses
• The House of Burgesses
was the first elective
governing body of the
English colonies.
• They met in Jamestown
church on July 30, 1619.
• The House included: a
governor, 6 councilors, and
20 representatives, 2 from
each colony.
• This representative body
was formed to make laws
for the colonies.
Bacon’s Rebellion
• Governor Berkeley managed to
stay governor of the House of
Burgesses from 1661-1676 with
no elections. The western
planters had no where to go to
vent their concerns so they
began to rebel in other ways.
• Governor Berkeley was
threatened at gunpoint and
Jamestown was burned in
1676.
• Bacon was elected to the
House of Burgesses for a short
time after the burning of
Jamestown. He left Jamestown
to attack innocent Native
American tribes.
The House of Burgesses was
intimidated by Bacon and
passed laws that he demanded
to be passed. Upon Bacon’s
untimely death the laws were
repealed.
Berkeley was called back to
England by the King, where he
later died.
Beginnings of Slavery
• Before slavery there was indentured servitude. Indentured
servants often worked on tobacco plantations to pay off
their journey to America.
• People who had lived in Barbados and Jamaica and were
now working as planters in America, decided to import
slaves from West Africa to cultivate rice in South Carolina
and the low country of Georgia.
Closing
1. Why did the Virginia Company come to
America to colonize?
2. Who helped the settlers survive?
3. What was the most profitable cash crop?