Virginia
The Only Colony Worth Living In
How we were established. . .
We started off as an establishment by an English firm, the Virginia Company, that wanted to make money by sending people off to America to find and gather gold as well as other natural resources. Here, we established the House of Burgesses, quite similar to the English Parliament. Although we didn't find gold, we did learn how to cultivate tobacco!! Not only did it quickly become a major source of wealth, it was one of our biggest cash crops. That may be linked with some social and economic divisions and slave dependencies, but that's alright, we're still a wonderful place to come and enjoy!
Tobacco
Quick Cash Crop!!
Slaves
Source of labor for farms
Seal
Official Seal
Location
Virginia is considered a part of the Southern Colonies! Jamestown Island was chosen because the peninsula offered protection against European powers, and a river made it so colonists could anchor their ships off shore. Originally, we expected the weather to be the same as the lands in the latitudes in Europe, but because it was a different climate, the crops we first tired failed. But with the introduction of tobacco, we became productive!!
Colony Factoids!
As stated earlier, we were originally established by the Virginia Company with hopes of discovering gold and spreading Protestantism. Our government was first attempted with the House of Burgesses, which was made up of 22 members, many of which were elected representatives. In 1624, the charter to the company was revoked, and we became a Royal Colony. However, our government didn't change till 10 years later, where we got 8 appointed shires. Our trading is mostly with our most plentiful crop, tobacco. We also receive lots of slaves for labor for growing these and other labor!
Unique Events!
- The Native Americans often tried to run us out, but we mostly overcame them through the sheer influx of people coming in!
- Powhatan's daughter, Pocahontas (who was actually named Matoaka), was captured, but converted to Christianity, taking on the name Rebecca.
- In 1676, Bacon's Rebellion occurred. Governor Berkeley didn't provide any assistance in our fights against the Native American's who were trying to attack us on our established land. Nathaniel Bacon was in opposition of Berkeley and many supported him, and rebellion occurred. He managed to outright rebel and take over the colony for a few months. However, Berkeley returned to the power with the English militia. Bacon burned Jamestown before abandoning it.
Important People!
- King James I-granted responsibility for England's New World colonization to the Virginia Company
- Captain John Smith-kept the settlement sustained
- Powhatan-didn't want to colonists to get off their land and to stop utilizing their resources, tried to clear out them while their numbers were slightly smaller
- Berkeley-started off trying to do more exploration, but later stopped
Join Us!
We're a prosperous colony, and we could always use a boost in our numbers! We're a lot better off than when we had first started, and we can't wait to see you join our populations soon! Thank you for considering us as the colony you want to join!