Virginia

﻿The Virginia Colony

Quick Facts:

What date was the colony founded? - Virginia was founded in 1624, but Jamestown, the 1st settlement, was founded in 1607 What was the name of the 1st settlement? - Jamestown What group founded the colony, and why? - London Joint-stock Company, to gain wealth from resources in the new world and to spread Christianity Major economic activity - Tobacco Was it a royal, charter, or proprietary colony? - Royal



America's first permanent English colony, the Virginia Colony, was founded in 1624. Jamestown, the first settlement, was founded 17 years earlier in May 1607 (Jamestown was the place of the House of Burgesses, founded in 1619). The Virginia Colony was founded by a joint-stock company, the London Company, to make money from the resources they hoped to find in the New World. It was also founded, to a lesser extent, to convert the natives to Christianity. Virginia was a royal colony, meaning it was ruled by a governor appointed by the king. Therefore, the king still had some control over the colony. Tobacco was the #1 export in the Virginia colonies, and it greatly helped the economy. Tobacco was easy to transport because of waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and Mattaponi river. Corn was also sold as a large cash crop. With tobacco and corn in great demand, plantations formed and slavery started in Virginia. In 1607, colonist declared the capital of Virginia to be Jamestown. In 1776, rebellious Virginians declared the new capital to be Williamsburg. Today, the capital is Richmond.



John Smith was one of the 1st people to set foot in the Virinia colony, and he was one of the seven people that were to govern the Virginia Colony. As a leader, it was his job to make sure that the people could undergo the harsh environment and survive the attacks by the Algonquain Indians. One day when he was hunting with his friends, indians attacked him and the other englishmen with him. They killed allbut John Smith, and he was taken back to their tribe so that their leader, Powhatan, could determine his fate. The chief seemed to admire him and he was fascinated with Smith's compass. He was questioned about the colonies and about where he came from, and was put on a trial. Smith is convinced that the chief's daughter, Pocahontas, saved his life by convincing the chief to let him live. He was released and returned to Jamestown. Unfortuneately in 1609, he was injured by a gunpowder burn and was sent back to London, never again to return to Virginia.

Other Virginia Facts-
 * millk is Virginia's state beverage
 * in the first year of settling in Virginia, 80% of the settlers died
 * the 1st child born in the new world was named after Virginia (Virginia Dare)
 * the year 1619 is referred to as "Red Letter Year" in Jamestown because of the arrival of slaves, single women, and an elected government
 * Pocahontas (Powhatan's daughter) actually married John Rolfe, a successful planter
 * On Good Friday, March 22, 1622, Opechancanough, Powhatans brother, led an attack on the settlements outside Jamestown, killing 347 colonists.

Sources: [] [] Civics and Economics textbook [] [] [] []