Virginia

Virginia ColonyStandards 8.2, 8.10, 8.11, 8.12

Tidewater Gentry• Very ________________________________________

• ______________________________, use of __________________ labor

• dominated the ___________________, _________________, and __________________ life of Virginia

Look at the map below. Where was the Tidewater located? ________________________________________

Backcountry• The frontier---it created a barrier between the ____________________________,

• ___________________________ and the _________________________________

• Small __________________________ with no _______________________

Look at the map below. Based on the map, where was the Backcountry located?______________________________________________

If you were a colonist, where would you prefer to live (Tidewater or Backcountry) and why?

Bacon’s Rebellion• People begin moving away from the coast into the backcountry because

• ________________________________________________________________—

colonists told ________________________________________________

• Virginia’s Governor William Berkeley is ________________________ with

_______________________and ____________________________

Gripes against Berkley• _______________________________________

• Low ___________________________________

• No _____________________________________________________

• Restrictions on the __________________________________________________

• the institution of a __________________________________________ requirement

Do you think these gripes are legit? Defend your answer.

Back to Bacon. . .• When Bacon is released he ________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

• They _________________________________________________________

• Bacon dies of ____________________________________________

• His comrades are _________________________________________

Significance of Bacon’s Rebellion

1. ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Why would Bacon’s Rebellion make Britain nervous about indentured servants?

Virginia’s Government1. Appointed _______________________________________________

2. Virginia General Assembly (_________________________________)

Upper House—________________________________

Lower House—______________________________________________

House of Burgesses• _________ members from the _____________________________________

(2 from each settlement)

**_________________________________________________________________________**

Quick Check

What caused Bacon’s Rebellion?

Why was Bacon’s Rebellion important?

What was the House of Burgesses and why was it important?

Virginia: A Southern Colony Standard 8.2

Jamestown, Virginia, was the first successful English settlement in America. After a shaky start,

Virginia began to grow and prosper. By 1700, the descendants of those early settlers had

become wealthy landowners and the most important people in Virginia.

The economy of Virginia was based on tobacco. Tobacco planters needed vast areas of land to

be successful. They also needed a large number of laborers to grow their crops.

At first, planters tried putting the surrounding American Indian tribes to work. But the tribes in

this area were not used to farming. Worse, many of them died of diseases they caught from the

colonists. The others faded into the forests and disappeared.

Next, tobacco planters tried bringing the poverty-stricken from England to work their land. In

exchange for free passage to Virginia, the workers agreed to become indentured servants for a

period of five to seven years. Many men, women, and children came to Virginia as indentured

servants. After completing their service, they were given their freedom along with a small plot of

land, some clothing, tools, and seeds.

The first Africans brought to Virginia were also treated as

indentured servants. At first, they had the same rights and

freedoms as white servants. Once their service ended, they

could buy land and servants of their own.

Gradually, however, planters turned to slaves to solve their

labor problem. Slaves brought from Africa cost twice as much

as servants, but because they were considered to be property,

slaves were not released from service like indentured

servants.

For the planters, enslaving Africans had other advantages as

well. Most enslaved Africans were already familiar with

different methods of farming. In addition, because of their dark skin, it was hard for them to

escape from their owners and blend into the rest of the population.

Virginia elected an assembly, called the House of Burgesses, in 1619. In 1661, the House of

Burgesses passed a law that made African workers slaves for life. By 1700, Virginia had more

than 16,000 enslaved Africans—more than one-fourth of the colony's population. For Virginia,

slavery had become a way of life.

Reading Check

Put the events surrounding the tobacco labor in Virginia in chronological order. (1 = first)

______ Poor English men and women sail from Europe to Virginia to become indentured

servants.

______ The House of Burgesses pass legislature regarding African Slavery.

______ American Indian Tribes are put to work in the fields.

______ Africans are brought to Virginia as indentured servants and eventually become slaves.