Unit II
1607-1763
Part 1
1607 Jamestown: the first permanent
English colony in the New World
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The London Co. (later will be called the Virginia
Co.) sent 144 men on three ships to Virginia
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The Godspeed, Susan Constant, and the Discovery
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These men were young and in good physical
shape and were indentured servants
Only 104 survived the trip
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Jamestown, Va.
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The London Co. had hoped that these men
would be able to mine gold, silver, and other
precious metals
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They wanted the same kind of wealth that Spain
had found
When the ship landed, it was too late in the
season to plant. These were not landless
farmers anyway.
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Jamestown
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They did not know how to hunt, fish and were
not sure what plants were safe to eat.
They settled in a malaria swamp in the
Chesapeake Bay Area
By 1608 only 38 survived (cannibalism)
Religion was not a factor in this settlement.
All men had agreed to attend the Anglican
Church
Captain John Smith
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Arrived and organized the men into work parties
for farming and mining.

He taught them to hunt, fish and deal with the
natives
Less that a dozen died the next winter but Smith
went back to England to be treated for powder
burns
In the Meantime…

The London Co. investors wanted to see some
profit.

600 more people were sent to Jamestown in
1609 along with a ship full of supplies (which
sunk on the way)
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More died of starvation and malaria
The London Co.

Believed that the settlers were slackers so they
sent Sir Thomas Dale to supervise
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Dale’s 3 rules:
No slacking
 No dealing with the Indians
 No swearing
 Violations were punishable by death
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Jamestown
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Even Dale could not save Jamestown
John Rolfe saved it by introducing a mild form
of West Indian tobacco to the land in 1611
Tobacco caught on but by the time it was a
money-maker, the London Co. was SOL
because the original indentured period had
passed
Jamestown
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So…The London Co. renamed itself the
Virginia Co. and hoped to still make a profit by
attracting more settlers to colonize

They offered a Headright system Similar to the
Dutch Patroon System…(55 to 100 acres of
land for nothing. One could get a deed for the
land if they established boundaries, planted
crops and built a habitation.
1619

The Virginia Co sent 100 women to Va. who
could be purchased for 120 pounds of tobacco!

Also, in 1619, a Dutch ship brought 19 African
slaves to Va for sale. No one wanted them!
They preferred Indentured servants…the Dutch
ship had loaded up with other supplies so the
Africans simply wandered away!
The Virginia House of Burgesses
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1619 The first elected legislative body in the
colonies.
The Virgiinia Co. had promised new settlers
some self-government and the Va. House of
Burgesses was it.
Indentured Servitude
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Was the preferred form of unfree labor in the
first 3 quarters of the 17th Century.
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Slavery will begin to replace indentured
servitude after Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)
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Tobacco exhausted the land but was the main
export crop in the 18th C.
Bacon’s Rebellion
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1622 The Virginia Co. went broke
1624 Virginia became a Royal colony

1642 Governor Berkley (a royal governor
representing the crown) was sent to rule Va.)

Berkley and his friends (called the Green Spring
Group) cut deals with the Indians at the expense
of the frontiersmen
Bacon’s Rebellion
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Va. Grew rapidly
By 1660 40,000 were there
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Rapid growth was a problem because more land
was needed and the Native Americans were
constantly on the attack
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1673 Nathaniel Bacon arrived
Bacon’s Rebellion
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Bacon was country gentry and was miffed when
not invited to join the Green Spring Group
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His farm was hit by Indian attacks and he
insisted that Berkley do something about it
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Berkley refused
Bacon formed his own army (neighbors and
indentured workers)
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Bacon’s Rebellion
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Berkley called Bacon “a rebel” and Bacon’s army
attacked Jamestown…burned it to the ground
Berkley went into hiding and then…
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Bacon dropped dead of dysentry (not pretty)
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Why was this important?
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Results of Bacon’s Rebellion
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Since Bacon’s army was made up of Indentured
Servants, many believed that African slaves
would be less dangerous and easier to control.
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So…slavery began to replace indentured
servitude
The Importance of Bacon’s
Rebellion
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Bacon’s Rebellion reflected conflict on 3 levels:
The colonists v the Native Americans
 The colonists v British authority
 The rural population and the urbanites
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Jamestown
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The Virginia Co. also offered limited SelfGovernment leading to :
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The Virginia House of Burgesses (1619): the
first legislative body in the colonies