Expansion of the Jamestown Settlement
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SET

Objectives:

1. On a map, the student will identify the physical movement of early Virginians, from the settlement in Jamestown up to different regions in Virginia.

2. The student will identify key developments: the first four "plantations" of Virginia, the changing of the capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg, and the establishment of College of William and Mary.

3. The students will reinforce their historical understanding by writing a personal narrative, choosing a particular perspective of soemone in the time period to consider.

Relevance:

Understanding the movements of people to other segments of Virginia lays a foundation for comprehending Virginia as we know it today. The early local and county governments are the roots of the representative local systems we have today. Cities, towns, colleges, and churches that still exist were developed in this period of expansion.

Involvement of the Learners:

Ask students to think about their towns. How long have they existed? Who originally settled them? What are the important structures and characteristics of towns?

EXPLANATION:

1. This lesson will begin with a basic lecture outlining what took place in Jamestown after the Critical Period.

Outline of Material

• The population had stabilized and was growing, agricultural and economic systems had developed, the colonists had gotten rid of most of the Indian threat, and people began to move beyond the borders of the fort at Jamestown. There was rapid population growth, from about 15,000 in 1643 to 60,000 by 1700.
• Virginia was divided up into four "plantations" or cities -- James City (containing Jamestown), the City of Henrico, Charles City, and Elizabeth City. Families began to move throughout these areas, settling mainly along the rivers. These counties set up their own governments, and became structural entities separate from Jamestown. In 1634, the General Assembly further divided the area, into 8 counties.
• The head right system was established as a means to distribute land. Between 1610 and 1660, small farms were very profitable in Virginia. Each settler was entitled to 50 acres of land. This system encouraged new settlers and spread settlement outward from the immediate Jamestown area.
• As the colony grew and counties were established, the Church of England establishments in the colony grew as well. In 1645, the General Assembly authorized the election of vestries by qualified voters of each parish. The established church was part of the county structure, as the establishment of parishes and election of vestries followed county organization. Officers of the church had civil as well as religious authority and duties.
• There was a notable population increase after 1642, during Cromwell's rule in England. Royal supporters sought refuge in Virginia, increasing the aristocratic population of the Colony.
• The College of William and Mary had been established at Williamsburg in 1693, and this was perceived as a very important development in the colony. It was the second college established in the American colonies; Harvard was the first.
• In 1699, the General Assembly officially moved the colonial capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg, which was considered to be a more healthy and thriving area than the Jamestown fort.
• Settlements moved farther up the main rivers, the James, York, and Rappahannock. Larger towns, like Richmond and Fredericksburg, developed along the fall lines of these rivers. From there, people started to travel to and settle in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah valley. In 1727, Governor Gooch formally extended the boundaries of the colony to the new frontiers in the Shenandoah valley.

2. Discuss the problems Virginians faced as they moved farther past the edge of the the Tidewater. Consider the geographical features (rivers, mountains) that helped movement or made it more difficult. Consider the interactions with the Indians -- the Indian presence had generally been removed, and the colonists pushed the Indians farther and farther out of the territory in which they settled. The teacher should periodically check for comprehension, asking questions to see if the students have understood the material.

Activity:

The students will consider the different perspectives of these early Virginia settlers -- farmers, people who worked in government, explorers who moved West into the mountainous territories, young people who attended college at William and Mary, families living in the colonial capital, and the Indians who had originally inhabited the land. Ask students to choose one perspective to give further consideration. They will write a diary from the perspective of that person, imagining what life was like for them. What were their goals? What types of challenges did they face? If they moved to a new place, how was that place different from where they previously lived? Did life get easier or harder? What did they hope to do next? What was the role of their family, religion, and other people around them? Students may choose whatever perspective they wish, and make several entries in a diary, taking into consideration the questions listed, in addition to anything else they perceive as important.

Closure:

The students will meet in small groups to discuss how they perceived the perspectives of the people they wrote about in their diaries, comparing different perspectives of the time period. The small groups should be mixtures of different perspectives; each group should contain representatives from each different option for historical perspectives. Back in the large group, summarize the ideas of expansion, and consider what sort of developments would take place next. Questions to consider in discussion: What conclusions can we draw about life for the early settlers in Virginia? How did life get more complicated after settlers left the immediate area of Jamestown? What factors posed the biggest challenges to movement in Virginia? How did the settlers overcome those challenges?

Evaluation:

Rread the students' diaries to see how well they learned the information and how they integrated it with the perspective they chose. Also consider their participation in discussion.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dabney, Virginius. Virginia: The New Dominion. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1992.

Daniel, J.R.V. A Hornbook of Virginia History. Richmond: The Division of History of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Development.

Gritzer, Charles F. Exploring Our World, Past and Present. Lexington: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991.

Vaughan, Alden T. "'Expulsion of the Salvages': English Policy and the Virginia Massacre of 1622" William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd. Ser., Vol. 35, No. 1 (Jan, 1978), pp. 57-84.

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