Virginia
The First Colony
Brief History
-was a business venture of the Virginia Company, which had English people come to America in search of valuable natural resources and then ship them back to England
-established the first European-type legislative body in the New World, very similar to the House of Burgesses
Geography
-located above North Carolina and below Maryland
-English settlers told the Native Americans to basically get off of their own land, including their chieftain Powhatan
-this was mainly due to the fact that the land was rich in tobacco, which became a major cash crop-this led to major social and economic divisions between landowners and those who did not own land
-cultivating tobacco required lots of work, which made them rely heavily on slavery
Religion
-if their religion was not Christian, it would not be tolerated
-the line between political independence and religious freedom was blurred
-Virginians were ordered to worship the Anglican church
Bacon's Rebellion
-wanted the colonial government to take harsher actions toward American Indians
-helped lead to the rise of slavery
Why choose Virginia?
-the House of Burgesses was the first and BEST legislative body
-Virginia gave birth to EIGHT presidents! That's more than any other state!