COLONIAL VIRGINIA: CIGARS, CIGARETTES, DEMOCRACY?
1618

VIRGINIA COMPANY OF LONDON (VIRGINIA COMPANY)

FACING BANKRUPTCY

STRUGGLED FOR YEARS

PERMANENT SETTLEMENT IN VIRGINIA

MUCH ENTHUSIASM

MUCH INVESTING

LITTLE RETURN

VIRGINIA

FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN ENGLAND

DISEASE IN VIRGINIA

INDIAN “MASSACRES”

DICOURAGEMENT

VIRGINIA

SOME BACKGROUND

1585-SIR WALTER RALEIGH’S “FLEET” REACHES ROANOKE ISLAND, JUNE (108 MEN)

1586 SIR RICHARD GRENVILLE ARRIVES ROANOKE

1592 JOHN WHITE TO ROANOKE FINDS COLONY DESERTED

1606 VIRGINIA COMPANY OF LONDON ESTABLISHED/CHARTERED

DEC. 1606 FIRST SETTLERS DEPART ENGLAND (214 SOULS)

APRIL 1607 ARRIVE VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA

MAY 1607 200 INDIANS ATTACK JAMESTOWN (1KIA, 11WIA)

WINTER 1609-1610 “STARVING TIME”

60 SURVIVED BY SPRING,1610

1609 WALTER DE LA WARR NAMED GOVERNOR ARRIVES W/SUPPLIES 1610

VIRGINIA

COLONY HORRIBLY MISMANAGED

COMMUNAL PLAN PRESCRIBED

LAND AND PRODUCE JOINTLY OWNED

RESULTS ACCORDING TO RALPH HAMOR, COLONIAL SECRETARY:

“WHEN OUR PEOPLE WERE FED OUT OF THE COMMON STORE, AND LABORED JOINTLY TOGETHER, GLAD WAS HE WHO COULD SLIP FROM HIS LABOR OR SLUMBER OVER HIS TASKE, HE CARED NOT HOW…NEITHER CARED THEY FOR THE INCREASE PRESUMING THAT HOWSOEVER THE HARVEST PROSPERED THE GENERALL STORE MUST MAINTAINE THEM, SO THAT WE REAPED NOT SO MUCH CORNEFROM FROM THE LABOURS OF THIRTIE AS NOW THREE OR FOURE DOE PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES”

VIRGINIA

1609 NEW CHARTER

GOVERNORS AND DEPUTIES

SUCCESSION OF DEPUTIES

COMMUNITY REGULATED

THOMAS DALE

PURITAN

DRACONIAN MEASURES

CLEANLINESS

WORK

HOLINESS

RECOGNIZED VALUE OF PRIVATE INITIATIVE

ASSIGNED PLOT TO INDIVIDUALS

GROW CROPS FOR OWN BENEFIT

INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY

VIRGINIA

BACK TO 1618

PROSPECTS FOR VACO STILL NOT GOOD

COLONY NOT PRODUCING ENOUGH

NOT ATTRACTING NEW COLONISTS

THEREFORE NO RETURN FOR INVESTORS

A PLAN DEVELOPS

SIR EDWIN SANDYS

REORGANIZED GOVERNMENT OF DE LA WARR AND SUBSEQUENT GOV.’S

PLAN’S OBJECTIVE: CREATE A COLONY PEOPLE WANTED TO COLONIZED

A PROFITABLE COLONY

VIRGINIA

1612 REVISIONS TO 1609 CHARTER

CONTROL PLACED UNDER ALL STOCKHOLDERS

PROVISIONS MADE TO MAKE MORE SHARES AVAILABLE

A LOTTERY AUTHORIZED

VIRGINIA

1612 JOHN ROLFE PLANTS FIRST TOBACCO CROP

1614 MARRIES POCAHONTAS

PEACE W/ POWATONS FOR EIGHT YEARS

1618 COLONY’S YIELD=20,000 LBS

1629 500,000 LBS

1604 JAMES I COUNTERBLASTE TO TOBACCO 

SMOKING WAS“LOTHSOME TO THE EYE, HATEFUL TO THE NOSE, HARMFULL TO THE BRAINE, DAUNGEROUS TO THE LUNGS, AND IN THE BLACK, STINKING FUME THEREOF, NEEREST RESEMLING THE HORRIBLE STYGIAN SMOKE OF THE PIT THAT IS BTTOMLESSE.”

VIRGINIA

JAMES’ CONDEMNATION NOTWITHSTANDING

COLONISTS WERE GROWING TOBACCO IN JAMESTOWN’S STREETS

COLONISTS REACTING TO TOBACCO LIKE THE 49ers WOULD TO GOLD

CONCERNED THE COMPANY 

ECONOMY MUST BE DIVERSE TO SUCCEED

VIRGINIA

BY 1620-21 SANDYS AND CO

ISSUED CHARTER OF GRANTS AND LIBERTIES

REORGANIZED GOVERNMENT

DO COMPLETELY AWAY W/ HARSH GOVERNMENT

SECURE GREATER PRIVILEGES IN ORDERTO

ATTRACT MORE STABLE/ENTHUSIASTIC SUBSCRIBERS

OBTAIN CONFIRMATION FROM PARLIAMENT

BETTER POSITION TO STRENGTHEN COLONY

ENGAGE THE WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT

VIRGINIA

ESTABLISH MORE REGULAR METHOD OF MEETING COLONY’S NEEDS

SUPPLY

PERSONNEL

MONEY

TOOLS & ETC.

VIRGINIA

MAKE ARRANGEMENT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

SCHOOLS

CHURCHES

ROADS

HOSPITALS

COLLEGES

ARTISANS/CRAFTSMEN

ROYAL MONOPOLY-TOBACCO

VIRGINIA

TOBACCO vs DIVERSIFICATION

STOCKHOLDERS IN ENGLAND EXCEPTIONALLY WORRIED

CAMPAIGN FOR NEW CROPS

ATTEMPT TO SET UP NEW INDUSTRIES

GLASS-BLOWING

BROCKMAKING

IRON WORKING

SALT

SHIP BUILDING

VIRGINIA

1620

COMPANY’S LEADERS TRY TO BAN

GOVERNOR TOLD TO DISCOURAGE ITS CULTIVATION

BY 1624 THEY ARE STILL TRYING

TAXES

COLONY EXEMPTED FROM IMPORTATION DUTIES ‘TILL 1619

DUTIE WERE HIGH

JAMES I HATED TOBACCO

DOMESTIC CULTIVATION

VIRGINIA

TOBACCO AND THE KING

SEVERAL AGREEMENTS HAD TO BE MADE ABOUT

TAXES

MONOPOLIES

LANDING CHARGES 

TRANSPORTATION

WAREHOUSING

PRELUDE TO THE FUTURE?

VIRGINIA

1624

VIRGINIA COMPANY’S CHARTER REVOKED

VIRGINIA BECOMES CROWN COLONY

WHY, OH WHY?

VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA- TOBACCO CENTRAL

WE KNOW HOW JAMES FELT ABOUT TOBACCO

NOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE REVOCATION OF CHARTER

“MISMANAGEMENT”

PRE-TOBACCO YEARS

MORTALITY

1607-1624

7549 HAD COM TO VA

1095 SURVIVED

1 IN 6

MASSACRES

VIRGINIA

1622

OPECHANCANOUGH

8 AM 22 MARCH 

350 DEAD

VIRGINIA

BUT EVEN THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH

WHAT WAS THE “LAST STRAW?”

SELF GOVERNMENT

VIRGINIA

1619

FIRST ASSEMBLY IN ENGLISH COLONIES

FIRST “NEGROES”

VIRGINIA

DESIRE FORSELF GOVERNMENT APRARENTLY WIDESPREAD

MAYFLOWER COMPACT (1620)

FUNDAMENTAL ORDERS OF CONNECTICUT (1639)

VIRGINIA WAS FIRST (1619)

TOWN MEETINGS OF MASS.

VIRGINIA

SIR EDWIN SANDYS

GREATE CHARTER 1618

REPLACE AUTHORITARIAN/RIGOROUS LAWS DIVINE, MORAL AND MARTIALL 

LEGISLATIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE, JUDICIAL SYSTEM MORE LIKE BRITAIN’S

HOUSE OF BURGESSES

MEMBERS ELECTED

FREEMEN

INCLUDES INDENTURED SERVANTS

NO CHURCH AFFILIATION REQUIRED

VIRGINIA

INDENTURED SERVANTS

FORMALIZED BY BURGESSES 1619

HEADRIGHT SYSTEM

PAY OWN PASSAGE

50 ACRES

PREVAILED FOR MOST OF CENTURY

VIRGINIA

COLONY IN FOUR “PLANTATIONS”

JAMESTOWN (JAMES CITY)

HENRICO

CHARLES CITY

ELIZABETH CITY (KECOUGHTAN)

SOME SETTLEMENTS WERE “HUNDREDS”

BERMUDA

VIRGINIA

FIRST ASSEMBLY

THIRTY

22 ELECTED FROM SETTLEMENTS

6 GOVERNOR’S COUNCILMEN

GOV., DEPUTY

SPEAKER APPOINTED

BUSINESS

PLANTING

LEGISLATION GAINST DRUNKENESS, IDLELNESS

WEAPONS AT CHURCH

VIRGINIA

FRANCHISE

MALE

CHRISTIAN

50L IN PROPERTY/INCOME

FIRST ASSEMBLY

LASTED SIX DAYS

NEXT IN MARCH

SYSTEM LASTED 5 YEARS

NEVER FORGOTTEN