Chesapeake
Today we heard the student presentation on the Chesapeake colonies.Chesapeake Colonies
- Virginia
- Maryland
- James River and Chesapeake Bay
- Had fertile soil (good for agriculture)
- Had fresh water (good for fishing)
- Swampy region
- Good land for growing tobacco
- Came over on the ships: Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery with 104 men.
- Founded in 1607
- Founded by Virginia Company
- Formed with a charter by King James I
- Had power to appoint the Council of Virginia, the Governor, and other officials, and the responsibility to provide settlers with supplies and ships
Led by Captain John Smith
Goal was to get rich quick by finding gold, and to find northwest passage. Good location for attacking Spanish ships.
Jamestown Struggles
- First settlers didn’t have necessary skills
- Suffered high death rates (Indian attacks and Disease- malaria)
- Didn’t find gold, found fools gold
- Inadequate housing
- Didn’t have any females
- Smith left= people died, people left settlement
- Restarting Settlement
- New Governor= Lord De La Ware
- Brought ships full of supplies, brought colonists back to Jamestown
- Indian were good due to marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe
- Jamestown struggled
- Indians fought again
- Capitol was moved to Williamsburg in 1698
- Had the first Representative Legislative Assembly in the New World (called House of Burgesses)
- Held at Jamestown Church
- Tobacco plantation owners wanted political control (they had most of the say in government because they owned land)
- It was here that our government that we have today was born
- Composed of 3 parts
- Governor was appointed by the Crown/King
- Council was appointed by the Crown/King
- House of Representatives/Assembly was appointed by the people (wealthy plantation owners)
- continued
- Could veto any of legislatures laws
- Appointed many officials
- Commanded militia
- Administered justice
- In charge of relations with Indians and other colonies
- Could grant lands
- continued
- Had to be residents of colony
- Usually men of wealth
- Advised governor
- Made the upper House of Legislature
- Formed the highest court of colony
- Chief legislative power (could still be vetoed by governor)
- Had sole power of taxation
- In 1612 John Rolfe started the Tobacco Industry
- “cash crop” = grown for money
- Plantation economy was based on cheap land and cheap labor (ultimately brought Africans for indentured servants)
- Tobacco was exported directly to France, Holland, Caribbean Islands, and England.
- Religion
- Official church of England
- Too widespread of people, many didn’t practice a religion accept for in close settlements.
- Relations
- Not good = different cultures, English wanted dominance, and wanted to Christianize
- 1622, Indian uprising ended bad relations and they lived peacefully for the most part
- Powhatan = lived in settlement of Jamestown
- Had strong empire
- 3 part class system
- 1 (upper class) = wealthy tobacco plantation owners made
- Made up governing body
- 2 (middle class) = small independent farmers
- Made up most of the population
- Had no political or economical power
- 3 (lower class) = indentured servants or slaves
- Did field labor on plantations
- Came strictly for gold, not settlement
- Religion didn’t have as much of an effect as other colonies (wasn’t as strict)
- Jamestown (first settlement, first government)
- Gave other colonies ideas for government
- Tobacco = grew tobacco as a “cash crop”
http://www.olemiss.edu/courses/his105/lectures/chesapeake.pdf
for the map and other information.
Also see:
http://members.aol.com/mayflo1620/pocahontas.html
for the primary source: John Smith's letter to Queen Ann regarding Pocahontas.
posted by Jeffrey @ Thursday, October 13, 2005
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