Events of 1619

Two contradictory events in 1619 left their mark on America:
the first Legislative Assembly and the arrival of the first slave ship

The First Legislative Assembly

A Step Towards Democracy

It wasn't the first time English citizens had representation at the local level, but unique events made this assembly a stepping stone on the road to democracy.

Background: The Great Charter of 1618

The Virginia Company of London rewrote the Jamestown charter (again!) in 1618. This was the start of the Virginia 1st Legislative Assembly.

Students in the Early Settlers Unit Study will:

• Compare the 4 charters
• Contrast martial and colonial law
• Define the vocabulary terms:
• legislative
• assembly
• burgess
• Read the order for the assembly (below.)

And that they might have a hand in the governing themselves, it was granted that a general assembly should be held yearly, whereat the Govenor and Counsil were to be present with two Burgesses from each Plantation freely to be elected by the inhabitants thereof. This assembly to have power to make and ordain whatsoever laws and orders should by them be thought good and profitable for our subsistance.

Eleven Settlements In Virginia

Participants will:

• Locate the 11 settlements
• Identify representatives and officers (by this time they are familiar with many of the people there.)
• Note how Jamestown has gone from Fort James, to James Town, to James City (before disappearing for 350 years!)

Decisions of the 1st Legislative Assembly

Students get to join the representatives in that sweltering heat of those six days in Virginia and vote "aye" or "nay" on the topics at hand.

In the modern day vernacular:

1. We accept the Great Charter of 1618 passed by the Virginia Company of London.
2. We will not allow drunkenness, idleness, or gambling in the settlements.
3. We should have plans to prepare our settlements in case of attack.
4. Trees and crops must be planted by each settlement.
5. This assembly should be able to vote on new laws that some of our own citizens propose.
6. All citizens are required to go to church on Sundays.
7. Because we have investigated the accusations against a servant and found him guilty of improper conduct, he should be punished.
8. We will require a poll tax of “one pound of tobacco” per person over age 16 in each community to pay for the services of this legislative assembly.

What Did They Accomplish?

Consider these questions:

• If they voted to accept the new "Great Charter" of the Virginia Company, could they also have voted to reject it? If so, who had the most authority?
• If they found a servant guilty of improper conduct, did that make them a jury and court as well?
• Have you ever heard of people paying their taxes with tobacco? (That was their main product.)
• # 5 above is game-changer. They could propose any new laws that they themselves create. (I'm pretty sure the Virginia Company didn't intend for them to do that!)

It was a big step forward, but they probably barely notice. After all, it seemed like common sense. But even as they were taking that bold step forward, a ship was crossing the Atlantic that would ruin the lives of thousands of people and eventually send this fledgling nation into a bloody Civil War.

Slavery Arrives on Virginia's Shores

Before describing the arrival of the White Lion, the unit study reviews the international dilemma that was presented at the beginning of the unit:

• European conflict (Spain vs England and the Spanish Armada)
• Privateering

Netherlands was close to the English Channel and played a role in the Spanish Armada.

Civil War In Africa

The war between the Republic of Congo and Angola resulted in the capture of thousands of Ndongo people who were sold into slavery.

Students follow the plight of the captives:

• Captured in the interior of Angola
• Crowded below deck of the San Juan Bautista at the Luanda Port (Angola western coast)
• Battle off the coast of Mexico - 200 were transferred to the White Lion
• Sailed up the Atlantic coast - more than 20 sold at Point Comfort

Consider the fate of the twenty to thirty men and women sold in exchange for food at Point Comfort near Jamestown. The journey was more than horrific. The new country, customs, and language unknown. Conditions were harsh.

The black workers joined the indentured servants who had been shipped over from England. Hard work and a high rate of death awaited them. But there was a hope.

After seven years, an indentured servant could work off their debt and become a land-owner. For those Englishman, the American dream was born.

But tragically, as more and more English-born indentured servants graduated to land-owners, the need for farm-labor grew. The former captives of Angola stood out with their darker skin. Slavery had planted its evil roots in the English soil.

Get the Early Settlers Unit Study

Explore scenes of native life, evaluate reasons for settling the new world, search for clues to the fate of the lost colonists, join the John Smith scavenger hunt on the 1612 Map of Virginia, sail with Strachey on the ill-fated Sea Venture, look for the location of old forts, and vote in the first legislative assembly.

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