Lesson 1: Hard Times in Virginia
Social Studies 5th Grade
Mr. Vida
st
1
Where was the
English colony in
what is now, the United States of
America.
Why did England want to begin a
colony on North American eastern
shore?
What is the Northwest Passage &
why was it so sought after?
Preview:
England founded Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607
Places:
•Roanoke Island
•Virginia
•Jamestown
People:
•Queen Elizabeth
•Walter Raleigh
•John White
•Francis Drake
•King James I
•John Smith
•Chief Powhatan
•Pocahontas
•John Rolfe
Vocabulary:
•charter
•stock
•cash crop
•Indentured servant
•House of Burgesses
Subtitle
•England
watched as their rival Spain established
vast new colonies in the Americas
•In
the late 1500’s, England began establishing
colonies also
•Roanoke
was England’s 1st attempt
•Queen
•What
of England
were some of the reasons why she wanted to
colonize North America?
•What
were some of the reasons why she
wanted to colonize North America?
•The
hope was to find Gold
•... OR
•Hoped
that it was rich in natural resources
•Queen
Elizabeth’s close advisor
•Offered
to organize the 1st colony himself
•Early
1580’s ~ he was a soldier who
explored N. America
•Knew
the Roanoke Islands
•1st
colonist landed in 1585
•Faced
a difficult winter; trouble finding
food
•1586
~ The starving English returned home
•Raleigh
did not want to give up
•1587
~ White led 100+ men, women, &
children to Roanoke Island
•Also
struggled. When he returned to
England for more supplies after they ran
out, war with Spain was raging
•Because
of war, no ships could be spared
•August,
1590 ~ White again landed at
Roanoke Island, but everyone was gone!
•The
only clue White found was the word
“CROATOAN” carved into a tree
•The
settlers, who arrived in 1587, disappeared in 1590, leaving behind
only two clues: the words “CROATOAN" carved into a fort's gatepost
and "Cro" etched into a tree.
•What
do you think happened?
•What
•Croatoan
do you think happened?
was the name of an American Indian group that lived near
Roanoke Island
•What
•Croatoan
was the name of an American Indian group that lived
near Roanoke Island
•NO
•May
do you think happened?
ONE KNOWS… But…
have been captured by Spanish soldiers, died in battles
with Indians, or while starving, may have moved south to live
with Croatoan people and have been assimilated
Why did Spain attack England?
Why did Spain attack England?
•Angry
about England’s attempts to
colonize N. America
•English
sea captains raiding Spanish
ships carrying gold & silver to Spain from
N. America
•Francis
Drake ~1577, began a historic trip around
the world
•In
1580, he returned to England, loaded with
captured Spanish gold
•England:
•1588
HERO ~ Spain: “Master Thief
~ King Phillip of Spain decided to attack
England
•King
Phillip led the Spanish Armada (Huge fleet
of war ships. Armada means fleet in Spanish)
•130
ships carrying 30,000 soldiers & sailors.
More
War Ships
More Support Vessels
Stronger ground force
Preemptive
strike with
burning ships
Tight English Channel
Stormy, foreign coast
Smaller, more faster ships
More powerful guns
•Cannonballs
and storms off of rocky coasts
“sank” the Spanish Armada
•60
out of 130 ships made it back to Spain
•This
was a major victory for England
•They
now were a major military power & one of
the most powerful nations
•Now
attention is turned back to America
•King
James I of England ~ gave permission to a
company for a charter to set up a colony
•1606
~ merchants formed the Virginia Company of London
•Charter
~ A document that permitted colonist to
settle on land claimed by their ruler
•The
Virginia company raised money by selling
stock
•Shares
in company that pays money if company is successful
•Jamestown
~ The 2nd colony founded by England
•Thought
to be a good spot, but it was swampy, full of diseasecarrying mosquitoes. River water was not healthy to drink
•Many settlers became sick and many died
•By the end of the 1st year, only 38 sellers were still alive
•Colonist were to busy looking for gold to support themselves
•John Smith~ one of the original settlers, after
1st year. He was elected leader of the colony
•Issued
that
order, “He who will not work, shall not eat”
•Under
Smiths leadership, they planted crops,
fished the river, dug wells, and built houses
•Chief
Powhatan ~ Chief of Powhatan people;
Smith traded with him. Corn from this kept helped
keep the colonist alive
•For
a time, relations were peaceful & the Chiefs
daughter, Pocahontas visited Jamestown
•Like
corn and tomatoes, tobacco plant is native is
native to the Americas
•Early
1600’s, it was becoming popular in England and Europe
•John
Rolfe ~ raised a crop of tobacco in Virginias
rich soil
•He
would marry Pocahontas in 1614, helping to maintain peace
•Tobacco
became Virginia’s 1st cash crop (crop
grown for profit)
•England
King James did not approve of tobacco
•He
called smoking “Harmful to the nose, harmful to the brain,
dangerous to the lungs.”
•His opposition did not stop Virginians from growing it
•1000’s of English indentured servants came to Jamestown
•Indentured
servant ~ agreed to work for someone
for a certain length of time in exchange for the cost
of an ocean voyage to N. America
•Many
indentured servants died from disease,
overwork, and mistreatment from their masters
•1619,
another group came to Jamestown. A Dutch
ship brought Africans who were sold as servants
and later released to start their own plantations
•Africans
enslaved
brought to Virginia would later be
•The
Virginia Company of London continued to
attract settlers to their colony
•Declared
settlers of Virginia should have “such a form of
government… as may be to the greatest benefit and comfort of
the people.”
•House
of Burgesses ~ In July 30, 1619 the 1st lawmaking assembly in an English colony met
•This
helped establish the tradition of self-government in the
colonies
1.
Fill in the diagram for question #1 comparing and
contrasting these details about Roanoke and
Jamestown:
•Why did some English leaders want to
build colonies in North America
•How did John Smith help the Jamestown
colony
•How did tobacco help Jamestown grow
1.
Organized by
Walter Raleigh
English
wanted
to find
Led by John White gold and
other
resources
People
disappeared
Organized by
Virginia Company
John Smith
became leader
Tobacco helped
colony survive
2. Why did England want to begin a colony on
North American eastern shore?
2. Why did England want to begin a colony on
North American eastern shore?
To find gold and other natural
resources; to keep Spain from
claiming all of North America
2.
How did England defeat the Spanish Armada
in 1588?
2.
How did England defeat the Spanish Armada
in 1588?
It’s small, quick ships
had powerful guns
4. Why did Jamestown almost fall? How was it
able to survive?
4. Why did Jamestown almost fall? How was it
able to survive?
The colonist were too busy
looking for gold to support
themselves: John Smith became
the colon’s leader and made the
colonist work toward survival
5. Do you think the House of Burgesses was the
best type of government for the Jamestown
colony? Why or why not?
5. Do you think the House of Burgesses was the
best type of government for the Jamestown
colony? Why or why not?
Possible Answer: Yes, because
members were chosen to
represent each district of
Jamestown

QUESTION:
Colonist on Roanoke
Island struggled. John
White returned to
England for more
supplies after they ran
out, but war with Spain
was raging. Upon
arriving, the colony was
deserted. What were
possible reasons for
this?
ANSWER::
QUESTION:

Colonist on Roanoke
Island struggled. John
White returned to
England for more
supplies after they ran
out, but war with Spain
was raging. Upon
arriving, the colony was
deserted. What were
possible reasons for
this?
ANSWER::



(1) May have been
captured by Spanish
soldiers
(2) May have died in
battles with Indians
(3) May have, while
starving, moved south
to live with Croatoan
people and have been
assimilated
What were three reasons why
England wanted to colonize North
America?