The Struggle to Found New Colonies

1. The Struggle to Found New Colonies Social Studies Chapter 5

2. Lesson 1 Hard Times in Virginia

3. Meet the People • Queen Elizabeth I- ruled England from 1558 to 1603 • Walter Raleigh- advisor to Queen Elizabeth; soldier who explored North America in the early 1580s and offered to organize the first colony for England • John White- led men, women, and children to Roanoke Island in 1587 • Francis Drake- English captain who began a voyage around the world in 1577

4. Meet the People continued… • King James I- English ruler who granted a charter to begin a colony in Virginia (Jamestown) • John Smith- helped the Jamestown colonists survive in a new land • Chief Powhatan- chief of the Powhatan people; gave the Jamestown settlers corn that helped them to survive • Pocahontas- Chief Powhatan’s daughter • John Rolfe- raised a crop of tobacco (Virginia’s first cash crop) around 1612

5. Vocabulary • Charter- document that permitted colonists to settle on land claimed by their ruler • Stock- shares in a company • Cash crop- crop grown for profit • Indentured servant- worked for someone for a certain amount of time in exchange for the cost of the ocean voyage to North America • House of Burgesses- first law-making assembly in an English colony

6. Hard Times in Virginia • England wanted colonies in North America in order to compete with Spain • Raleigh explores North America in early 1580s • First group of colonists land on Roanoke Island in 1585 and returned home in 1586 due to lack of food • In 1587, John White leads more than 100 people to Roanoke Island • Supplies get short and White returns to England for help • White returns to Roanoke in 1590 to find the colony deserted

7. The Battle of the Spanish Armada • England’s attempt to build a colony in North America angered Spain • English sea captains were raiding Spanish ships • Francis Drake captured a large amount of gold from Spanish ships during his voyage around the world • In 1588, King Phillip of Spain decided to attack Spain • King Phillip assembled the Spanish Armada • English had the advantages of smaller, faster ships and more powerful guns

8. The Battle of the Spanish Armada • Many Spanish ships were sunk by cannonballs or destroyed during a storm • The Battle of the Spanish Armada was a huge victory for the English and made England one of the world’s most powerful nations

9. The Jamestown Colony • In 1606, a group of merchants formed the Virginia Company of London and asked King James I for a charter to set up a colony in Virginia • The owners of the Virginia Company raised money by selling stock • In 1607, ships carrying colonists reached the eastern colony of Virginia • Colonists sailed up the James River looking for a place to start their colony, which they called Jamestown

10. The Jamestown Colony Continued • Although John Smith thought Jamestown was a great place, it was actually low and swampy and full of disease-carrying mosquitoes • Water was not safe to drink and made many sick • Many settlers began to die shortly after their arrival

11. John Smith and the “Starving Time” • Instead of building homes and planting crops, colonists spent all of their time searching for gold • Many began to starve and die and only 38 of the original 120 colonists remained alive • John Smith was elected leader of the colony • Under his leadership, homes were built, wells for water were dug, crops were planted, and the rivers were fished • Smith also traded with Chief Powhatan

12. John Smith and the “Starving Time” • The colony continued to suffer even under Smith’s leadership • The population of the colony continued to decrease and the colony was almost abandoned • More settlers arrived and with them came a new leader- Lord De La Warre • Lord De La Warre was granted new powers by the Virginia Company • He forced people to work and the survivors were saved and the colony was revived

13. Tobacco Helps Jamestown Grow • Corn, tomatoes, and the tobacco plant are native to the Americas • European explorers and traders learned from the Native Americans how to grow tobacco • Tobacco was becoming very popular in England and other European nations by the early 1600s • In 1612, John Rolfe raised a crop of tobacco in Virginia • Tobacco became Virginia’s first cash crop

14. Tobacco Helps Jamestown Grow • King James did not approve of tobacco but this did not stop people in Virginia from growing it • The growing number of tobacco farms increased the need more workers • Thousands of indentured servants began to arrive in Jamestown • These people hoped to eventually own their own land when they gained their freedom • Between 1619 and 1622, many indentured servants died from disease, overwork, and mistreatment by their masters

15. Tobacco Helps Jamestown Grow • In 1619, a new group arrived in Jamestown • The ship carried 20 Africans who were sold as indentured servants and later released; some of whom later established their own tobacco plantations • Jamestown continued to grow • The marriage between John Rolfe and Pocahontas in 1614 helped maintain peace between the English and the Powhatan people

16. Self-Government in Virginia • The Virginia Company of London continued to try to attract more settlers • In an attempt to make the colony more attractive, they established the Virginia House of Burgesses • The House of Burgesses met for the first time on July 30, 1619 • Members were chosen to represent each district • This helped establish the tradition of self-government in the English colonies