| A | B |
|---|
| Charter | A written contract, issued by a government or other authority, giving the holder the right to establish a colony, corporation, or other organization. |
| Indentured Servant | An individual who worked without wages for a specified number of years in exchange for transportation to the American colonies. |
| House of Burgesses | The Virginia legislature, founded in 1619, that served as an early step in the establishment of representative government in America. |
| Captain John Smith | Jamestown survived second year under his leadership. Forced settlers to work and managed to get corn from the POWHATAN people. "He that will not work neither shall he eat." |
| John Rolfe | Greatest contribution to the colony was learning to grow high-quality tobacco. His marriage to Pocahantas (Chief Powhatan's daughter) led to peace between the colony and the Indians. |
| Pocahontas | Chief Powhatan's daughter. Married to John Rolfe. |
| Jamestown | First successful English colony in the Americas. Named in honor of King James. Built on a PENINSULA so they could defend it from attacks. Prospered from growing TOBACCO. |
| Virginia Company of London | Group of merchants. Received charter from King James I to establish a colony in America. Joint-stock company (people bought stock in company in return for a profit). Financed the settlement of Jamestown. |
| Hardships in Jamestown (Disadvantages) | Swampy land filled with mosquitos that carried malaria (disease). Bad farmland. Surrounded by native American settlements. Settlers were more interested in searching for Gold than growing food. Colonist not use to hard labor. |
| Winter of 1609-1610 | Under leadership of Lord De La Warr, colonists barely survived this winter. The Indians stopped trading food and the settlers did not dare leave the fort. It was a "STARVING TIME" - a time of eating rats, mice, disease and death. |
| Tobacco Saves the Colony | John Rolfe learns to grow high-quality tobacco. Soon planters were growing tobacco along the James River and the colony began to prosper. |
| Jamestown Grows | Virginia Company allows settlers to own land. 50-acre land grants offered to attract settlers for those who could pay. Population grows. Those who couldn't pay encouraged to be indentured servants. Africans arrive in colony to be indentured servants. |
| Changes in Government | Colonist complain about taking orders from Virginia Company. Virginia Company allow colonist to elect burgesses (representaves of the settlers). HOUSE OF BURGESSES would make laws for colony. The Virginia Company could veto laws. |
| Democracy | Type of government in which the people have say in what happens to their own town, city, or country. |
