Colony of Virginia

The colony of Virginia was a British colony on the east coast of North America. It was first established in 1607 and remained a colony for nearly 170 years. In 1776, the colony’s government declared independence from Britain, becoming a free state. It joined with neighboring former colonies to form the United States of America. The colony included territory that is now part of present-day Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Virginia was the first North American colony successfully established by England. It allowed the British to establish a foothold on the continent, eventually claiming significantly more territory. The colony became well known for its tobacco production. Once Virginia settlers discovered the crop, it became the colony’s primary export. Virginia was the home of many significant figures in US history, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry.

Background

In the late sixteenth century, England did not have much influence outside of Europe. Other European powers—Spain, France, and the Netherlands—were enjoying wealth and success from resources obtained from their colonies in the Americas.

English leaders also wanted access to American resources. In the early seventeenth century, England’s King James I funded joint-stock companies to oversee new colonization attempts. The London and Plymouth companies were both branches of the larger Virginia Company. These companies provided the funding for colonization missions. If a colony thrived, grew, or found valuable resources, the company would benefit. The London Company aimed at the mid-Atlantic coast. Its first voyage consisted of 144 men and three ships—the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. It departed on December 20, 1606, and arrived at what would come to be called Cape Henry, Virginia, on April 26, 1607.

The settlers established a point on the coast that they believed could keep them safe if they were attacked by colonists of competing nations or Native Americans. They named this settlement Jamestown, after King James I. Jamestown was the successful English settlement in the Americas.

Like other joint-stock companies of the time, the London Company was granted the right to govern any territory that its expeditions settled. It allowed the colonists to set up their own government. Jamestown became the capital of the Virginia colony.

Overview

The mid-Atlantic was populated by a confederation of Native American tribes called the Powhatan. Virginia colonist John Smith helped forge a friendly relationship between the colony and the Powhatan. According to Smith, the Powhatan captured and were planning to execute him. Pocahontas, the chief’s daughter, pleaded on his behalf, and he was released. The truthfulness of this story has been disputed, but during Smith’s time in Virginia, the Powhatan traded with the colonists and taught them about the land.

The winter of 1609-1610 proved to be brutal, beginning a period the colonists called the “starving times.” Virginia’s fortunes improved in 1611 when colonist John Rolfe introduced tobacco to the colony. Tobacco became a staple of Virginia’s economy.

Rolfe married Pocahontas in 1614, which helped maintain peace between the colonists and the Powhatan. However, Pocahontas died of illness in 1617, and the two groups grew more hostile. Colonists continued to push westward into Powhatan land. In 1622, several Powhatan attacked Jamestown, killing hundreds of colonists. The event was known as the Indian Massacre.

As tobacco farming increased throughout the early seventeenth century, some colonists grew very wealthy. This allowed them to buy larger plots of land and grow even more tobacco. With so much land to farm, many landowners employed indentured servants. These were workers that signed a contract to serve an employer for a certain amount of time. However, many of the servants were illiterate, and landowners abused this by altering contracts without their knowledge or consent.

Some indentured servants were Africans captured by Dutch traders and sold in North America. Over the course of the seventeenth century, the trade of captured Africans increased. Eventually, indentured servitude gave way to slavery in Virginia.

The disparity between wealthy and poor colonists led to additional conflict. The wealthiest colonists kept coastal land, while those with less money attempted to move inland into the unsettled frontier. The latter settlers dealt with unknown terrain, supply shortages, and hostile Native Americans. There was a growing sentiment among these colonists that the Virginian government was not giving them proper resources and protection. A leader among these frontiersmen, Nathaniel Bacon, incited an armed rebellion in 1676. At its peak, the rebellion forced Virginia’s governor, William Berkeley, into retreat. After Bacon died of dysentery, support for the rebellion faded. However, it did result in Berkeley being relieved of his position.

The eighteenth century brought many changes to Virginia. The capital moved from Jamestown to Williamsburg in 1699. From 1626 to 1732, England had established twelve more colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America, giving Virginia trading partners. France was also colonizing portions of the continent, and warred with Britain in the mid-eighteenth century.

While the two nations battled in Europe, their colonies fought what was known in the Americas as the French and Indian War. It marked the beginning of Virginian George Washington’s military career. Although he was inexperienced and made some tactical mistakes, Washington gained the respect of his fellow colonists. When England placed blame on Washington and the colonial forces for military setbacks, it united Virginians and neighboring colonies, who believed the blame was unfair.

Tensions grew between the British and the colonies following the war. England began enacting policies that many colonists felt infringed on their rights. The colonists were particularly upset at the fact that England imposed taxes on them without giving them any voice in British government.

A group of revolutionary thinkers from Virginia and neighboring colonies began discussing how to respond to England’s policies. After several acts of protest did not lead to change, they agreed to declare independence from the British. This group became known as the Founding Fathers. Virginians among the Founding Fathers included military leader and future president Washington, powerful speaker Patrick Henry, future president and author of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson, and future president and author of the Bill of Rights James Madison.

The Declaration of Independence, in which Virginia and several other colonies announced that they were now independent states, was approved on July 4, 1776. From this point forward, Virginia was known as a state—or interchangeably, a commonwealth. England did not acknowledge this independence as legitimate, and the newly-formed United States had to fight the American Revolution (1775-1783) to protect its independence.

Bibliography

“Bacon’s Rebellion.” National Park Service, 26 Feb. 2015, www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/bacons-rebellion.htm. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019.

“Evolution of the Virginia Colony, 1611-1624.” Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/colonial/virginia/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2019.

“The Founding Fathers: Virginia.” National Archives, 18 Dec. 2018, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/founding-fathers-virginia. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.

“The French and Indian War.” Virginia Places, www.virginiaplaces.org/military/frenchandindian.html. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019.

“A History of Jamestown.” Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement/history-jamestown/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2019.

Jenner, Andrew. “America’s First Cash Crop: Tobacco.” Modern Farmer, 12 May 2014, modernfarmer.com/2014/05/americas-first-cash-crop-tobacco/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019.

“John Rolfe.” National Park Service, 26 Feb. 2015, www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/john-rolfe.htm. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019.

“Virginia’s Early Relations with Native Americans.” Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/colonial/indians/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2019.