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Jamestown Unit Interactive NotesVirginia’s American IndiansEnvironmental ConnectionsUnderstanding Archeology Colonizing America JamestownJamestown’s System of GovernmentHardships Faced by the Jamestown Settlers and Changes that Resulted in SurvivalThe Native Peoples and the English Settlers’ InteractionsArrival of Africans and WomenWORDS TO KNOWLanguage Groups: Algonquian, Siouan, IroquoianTribes: Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Nansemond, Pamunkey, Rappahannock, Upper Mattaponi, Monocanancestorsarcheologyartifactsburgesschartercolonyeconomic ventureEastern Woodland IndiansGeneral AssemblyJamestownlegislativematerial evidencepreservestockholdersvegetationWerowocomocoinvestorsVirginia’s American IndiansThe first Virginians have been in Virginia for thousands of years. When Christopher Columbus traveled to North America, he called the people he met there Indians, because he thought he had reached the West Indies. He didn’t realize he had reached a whole new continent! Today, we call these people American Indians. They were here first, before any European setters. All of Virginia’s Indians are classified as a group under the name Eastern Woodland Indians, which they received because they lived an area covered with forests and woodlands. The American Indians that lived in Virginia did not all speak the same language. In the Coastal Plain Region, the Powhatan tribe spoke the Algonquian language. In the Piedmont region, tribes like the Monacans spoke the Siouan language. In southwestern Virginia (Appalachian Plateau) and southern Virginia (near North Carolina), the Cherokee tribe spoke the Iroquoian language. Currently living in Virginia are several state-recognized tribes. They trace their family history back to before 1607. In the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Region we have the Chickahominy (CHICK-a-HOM-a-nee), Eastern Chickahominy, Mattaponi (mat-ta-po-nye), Nansemond (NAN-sa-mund), Pamunkey (pa-MUN-kee), Rappahannock (RAP-a-HAN-nock), and Upper Mattoponi tribes. In the Piedmont Region we have the Monocan Tribe. Environmental ConnectionsThe climate in Virginia is relatively mild with distinct seasons- spring, summer, fall, and winter- resulting in a variety of vegetation. In order to survive, Virginia’s American Indians had to adapt to their environment to get their food, water, and shelter. The kinds of food they ate, the clothing they wore, and the shelters they had depended upon the seasons.Foods changed with the seasons. In winter, the men hunted birds and animals and lived on stored foods from the previous fall. In spring, they hunted, fished, and picked berries. In summer, the women farmed and grew crops like corn, beans, and squash. In fall, they harvested the crops and hunted for foods to preserve and keep for the winter. Animal skins such as deerskins were used as clothing during the winter months. Their shelter was made from natural resources around them such as parts of trees, rocks, and dirt.Today, most American Indians live like other Americans and do not live like their native peoples because their cultures have changed over time. Understanding ArchaeologyArchaeology is another way that helps people understand the past. Archaeologists study all kinds of material evidence left from people of the past. We know that American Indians were the first people who lived in Virginia and the areas of Virginia they lived in because of artifacts. Artifacts are the pieces of evidence that have been dug up and found to tell us about the history of Virginia. Some of the artifacts found in Virginia include arrowheads, pottery, and other tools. Through archaeology, we have learned about Werowocomoco (weh-ro-wo-COM-a-co). Werowocomoco was a large Indian town used by Indian leaders for several hundred years before the English settlers came. It was the headquarters of the leader, Powhatan, in 1607. Due to archaeology, we also know that Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America. Archaeologists have discovered the site of the original fort. The recovered artifacts give archaeologists clues about the interactions of English, Africans, and Indians in early Virginia. Colonizing AmericaIn the early 1600’s England wanted to start an English colony, a settlement ruled by a distant country, in America. England saw colonizing America as a way to increase its wealth and power. They wanted to get the raw materials, any resource that can be used to make products that could not be obtained in England and open new markets for trade, making money from them. They were also hoping to find silver and gold. In order for the English to colonize America, they needed to receive permission. King James I gave the Virginia Company of London, a group of English gentlemen that wanted to colonize America, permission to start a colony in the form of a charter. A charter is written permission or authority to do something. This charter gave the Virginia Company of London permission to: 1) establish a settlement in North America and 2) extend English rights to settlers. The Virginia Company found 104 men to start their colony, and near the end of 1606 they set sail for America. JamestownWhen the Virginia Company of London arrived in Virginia in May 1607, they chose to settle in Jamestown for many reasons. Why? First, they received instructions telling them to settle inland and find a suitable place for their colony. Second, their location could be easily defended from Spanish attack by sea. Third, the water along the shore was deep enough for ships to dock. Fourth, they believed they had a good supply of fresh water. Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 an economic venture, it was a way to make money so England could increase its wealth and power. The stockholders of the Virginia Company of London financed the settlement of Jamestown. This means that the Virginia Company of London sold stock in the company to pay for the settlement of Jamestown. People who bought the stock would own a part of the company and therefore, would make money for themselves when the colony made money.When the settlers arrived in Jamestown in 1607, Jamestown was located on a narrow peninsula bordered on three sides by the James River. Today, Jamestown is located on an island in the James River. Jamestown’s System of GovernmentAs Jamestown grew, the system of government developed and changed. The Virginia Company of London decided that the colonists should elect representatives to meet with the governor (the top leader of the colony) and the governor's council. A representative is someone chosen by a group and given the power to make decisions for its members. Certain free adult men elected two representatives, called burgesses, from each of the different parts of the colony and in 1619, the governor of Virginia called a meeting of the General Assembly. The General Assembly included two burgesses, along with the governor’s council and the governor. They met as one legislative, or lawmaking, body. By the 1640’s, the burgesses became a separate legislative body called the House of Burgesses. They began meeting separately from the governor and the governor’s council, as one of the two legislative bodies of the General Assembly. This was the first elected legislative body in English America giving settlers the opportunity to control their own government. Currently, the Virginia General Assembly is based on the establishment of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown in 1619. Hardships Faced by the Jamestown Settlers and Changes that Resulted in SurvivalWhile the people of the Jamestown colony thought they picked a good location for their settlement, they still had problems. The site they chose to live on was marshy and lacked safe drinking water. Also, because the land was marshy, there were a lot of mosquitoes that carried diseases.In addition, the settlers lacked some skills necessary to provide for themselves. Many of the men who came to Jamestown were gentlemen in the English society. They were not used to hard work. They had very little knowledge of how to hunt, grow crops or build homes.As a result, many of the settlers died of starvation and disease. By fall, only 46 of the original 104 colonists were still alive.However, the settlers were able to survive in Jamestown for two reasons. First, the arrival of two supply ships provided fresh supplies and more settlers to help in the colony. Second, was due to the strong leadership and forced work program of Captain John Smith. When John Smith became the leader of Jamestown, he put a huge emphasis on agriculture telling the settlers, “You don’t work, you don’t eat.” He made sure everyone in the settlement worked together to help the colony survive. John Smith also made the settlers rebuild the fort and dig wells for fresh water.The Native Peoples and the English Settlers’ InteractionsDuring the early years in Jamestown, the native peoples and the English settlers were civil towards one another. Captain John Smith had set up trading relationships with the native peoples. The native peoples traded mainly food with the English in exchange for tools, pots, and copper for jewelry. The native peoples also helped the Jamestown settlers survive in many ways. First, Powhatan, chief of many tribes, provided leadership to his people and taught the settlers survival skills. Second, Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan, served as a contact between the native peoples and the English. Third, the native peoples showed the settlers how to plant corn and tobacco. However, over time, the native peoples realized the English settlement would continue to grow and the native peoples began to see the settlers as invaders who would take over their land. Arrival of Africans and WomenIn 1619, Africans arrived in Jamestown against their will. Portuguese sailors captured African men and women from what is present-day Angola. The status of these early African men and women as either servants or slaves in Virginia is unknown. The arrival of the Africans made it possible to expand the tobacco economy. They tended to work on plantations, tending to the tobacco crop. In 1620, the arrival of additional woman to Jamestown made it possible for more settlers to establish families; thus, a permanent settlement at Jamestown was created. ................
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