Virginia
1619
The Beginning of Slavery
Government in the New World
The second event was the finding of the House of Burgesses. Not only was it Virginia's first governing body, but it was also the first representative assembly in the New World.
It started when the London Company directed the Virginia Governor, Sir George Yeardley, to summon a “General Assembly” elected by all the free, white, landowning males. Twenty-two representatives and Master John Pory was appointed the assembly’s speaker. Its first law required tobacco to be sold for at least three shillings per pound. All their laws had to be passed, first, by the London Company. This self-governing through local elected representative became a reality in America.the first unmarried woman
The final event was the news that unmarried, white woman would be arriving in the colony, her name was Anne Burras. This was important because the Chesapeake region was predominantly males, and the women who were there were the wives and daughters of the colony's wealthiest planters. The Virginia Company, decided that women were essential for population stability and welfare of the colony, so they decided to have 100 unmarried women to come to the colony. One year later, 90 women arrived. Any man marrying one of a of 90 women was required to pay 120 lb of tobacco, this covered the cost of her transportation. The women didn’t even have to marry, if she did not find a man to her liking.