Jamestown Virtual Colony

The Charters

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Objectives: With lecture and class discussion the student will be able to:

  1. State the motivations of the English for establishing a colony in the Americas
  2. Relate the structure of the London Company under the different Charters and explain the reasons behind the differences between them.

Relevance: Explain to students that in order to understand the founding of a nation, they must understand how that nation came to be, politically and philosophically. Knowledge of the founding of Jamestown is indispensable to understanding the foundations of the United States.

Involvement of the Learner: A Charter is a type of contract or Constitution, granting rights and responsibilities. Ask the students for some examples of contracts that they are aware of or have entered into. They might include drivers lincences or credit cards, for example. What are the responsibilities of the holder of the contract? What are the rights or priveledges granted?

Explanation: The teacher will lecture for 15 – 20 minutes, emphasizing the features of each of the Charters. Have the students compare and contrast them.

Text of Charters:

First Charter
Second Charter
Third Charter

Features of each Charter:

First Charter - 1606 Second Charter - 1609 Third Charter - 1612
Settlers had the same rights as the English Company included merchants and businessmen Virginia boundaries extended to include Bermuda
Land was property of the crown Land owned by the London Company Governmental control left more to stockholders than Company council
Governed by Council in London Governed by Treasurer (President) and council of the Company Lottery established to fund colony
Company responsible for recruiting, transport, trade and supply   First Representative assembly outside Parliament met 7/30/1619
Outline of content

Activity: Distribute copies of the three Charters, or locate them on-line, and have the students read the primary texts. Since successive Charters were an attempt to improve on earlier versions, students should be prepared to discuss them, noting changes that were incorporated in each, describing their strengths and weaknesses, as well as offering suggestions for improvement.

Closure - Questions to ask:

  1. Do you notice anything about the government of the first Charter? With travel between England and the new colony taking months, was this an efficient way to run the company?
  2. How did the property rights change between the First and Second Charters? Was this an improvement?
  3. The land was to be owned by the Crown under the Charter of 1606. Do you think that had the settlers had a property stake in the venture, things might have turned out differently? Why or why not?
  4. Under the Third Charter, the stockholders had a much greater say in the operation of the Company. What are some advantages and disadvantages of more democratic participation in running a business?

Assignment: .Have the students go home and find a contract that they or their family hold. List the rights granted by the contract, as well as the obligations assumed. Be sure to tell the students not to bring in sensitive financial information. This should be done without reference to specific numbers.

Materials: Primary texts of Charters. Chalkboard to emphasize key terms and to present table.

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