Jake's Jamestown and Harsdships in Virginia Study Guide

Jake

9/28/2007

Hardships in Virginia Study Guide

Name some reasons as to why the English came to the New World.	1. Lure of gold and silver 2. Northwest passage 3. Raw materials, like timber for ships, which help to bolster mercantilism 4. Challenge Spain and France in the New World 5. Create a global economy 6. Reaction to the urban ‘city’ life 7. Spreading Christianity
Who succeeds Queen Elizabeth in 1603, and what was his ruling style?	King James I succeeds her, and he is an absolutist.
Why is it important that a Scottish king took over England?	Because that combined Scotland and England, creating Great Britain.
What is a Joint Stock Company?	It is a company with investors.
Why did King James want a Joint Stock Company to do the colonization?	He did not want to pay for another Roanoke.
What are some pros of a Joint Stock Company?	It allowed businesses to do more with less because they had other people’s money too, and it allowed investors to take a part in a company’s success. It is easy fundraising, and financial responsibility does not rest on one person.
What are some cons of a Joint Stock Company?	The business risks the money of more than one person, and the business owner does not have full control. The business does not get as much money because profit is split among investors. Investors could lose everything if the business screws up.
To whom does King James grant a colonization charter in 1606?	The Virginia Company
Where were the two locations of the Virginia Company, and which had Jamestown?	· The Virginia Company of Plymouth was in the North, in Massachusetts · The Virginia Company of London was in the South, in Virginia, and had Jamestown
Who controlled the middle?	The Dutch, in New Amsterdam (later New York).
What was the REAL birth date of Jamestown?	May 14, 1607.
Why was Jamestown so important?	It marked the first successful, permanent English colony in America, and therefore the genesis of the USA.
What were some problems that the Jamestown Settlers had?	· Disease – Malaria from mosquitoes, dysentery from the water · Native American raids · Arguing amongst themselves · False, lofty expectations
Why were so many of the colonists getting sick?	In addition to the disease, the colonists had wanted to sail for two months, but ended up sailing for five. They had to survive three extra months on a boat eating only the nonperishable rations. When they reached the shore, their food was gone and they had missed the planting time in spring that they had wanted to catch, so they were starving.
What was John Smith’s ‘Golden Rule’?	“No work, no food.”
What were the four major rules to live by after he left?	1. No trading with Native Americans without permission 2. No laziness 3. No stealing 4. No personal profit
What happens with John Smith in 1609?	John Smith leaves the colony…but before he does, he names the Company’s claim “New England”
What states make up the current “New England”?	Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
What was the winter between 1609 and 1610 called?	The “Starving Time”.
Why was it called this?	It marked a crucial time in seeing if the colonists could survive on their own, the ultimate ‘litmus test’. The colonists had to go without John Smith and survive the winter. Many died, and there were rumors of cannibalism, but they did indeed survive. Of 500, 60 were left.
What happens in 1613 that marks the economic expansion of Jamestown?	John Rolfe comes, and he cultivates the first sample of tobacco weeds. These weeds are better than those in England because they are easily refined. This is the cash crop the colony needed.
What does John Rolfe do in 1614, and why?	He marries Pocahontas, in order to establish peace between Jamestown and Powhatan
What two major events happened in 1619?	1. House of Burgesses is created o First representative government/assembly in the New World o The King doesn’t want to micromanage o “Burgesses” means “Free man from the city” in Latin 2. Black slaves and women were brought to the settlement
How did the Spanish way of ruling differ from the English way?	· Spanish colonists differ from the English · Spanish rule was harsher and more oppressive – Spanish colonies were extensions of Spain · Spanish purpose was mercantilistic, commercial · English purpose was also mercantilistic, however the rule was more open and amenable to representative government
What was the population like between 1619 and 1624?	5,000 settlers, but population was stagnant due to sickness.
What happened in 1622?	The Powhatan uprising.
How was the Labyrinth of Melancholy solved?	It was solved as if it were a business transaction. 347 colonists were killed, and 20 women captured. The 20 women were bartered back for only a few pounds of beads.
What does King James do in 1624?	Out of anger and vengeance, he revokes the Virginia Company’s charter, making it a royal colony. He lets the representative assembly remain in place, though.