Materials

• Chart paper/chalkboard
• Markers
• Virginia map – classroom size
• Sentence strips
• Worksheet on “The Capitals of Early Virginia” (Attachment D) with Answer Key (Attachment E)
• Textbook, trade books, or other instructional materials
• Computer with Internet access

Instructional Activities

1. In this session, students will draw conclusions about why the capital was moved two different times in early Virginia. Visit <http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/vastudiesposter.html> for posters about the movement of the capital city.
   
   
2. Refer to the Essential Understandings for the hardships experienced by colonists at Jamestown. List these on a chart. Lead the students to identify these hardships as reasons for moving the capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg. Also, point out that the drinking water was contaminated. Ask them why. (You want students to conclude that the area was marshy and contained diseases in addition to seepage of salt water. You want them to conclude also that dirty living conditions caused disease, and many colonists died as result.)
   
   
3. Tell the students that fire twice destroyed wooden buildings at Jamestown, and that the settlement never recovered. This was another reason for moving the capital city to Williamsburg.
   
   
4. Explain why Williamsburg was chosen as the new capital city. It was situated at a higher elevation than Jamestown. The population of the town was growing. The city was located farther from the James River, making it drier. Help students conclude that people would want to move to a safer place to protect themselves from diseases.
   
   
5. On the Virginia classroom wall map, point out that Jamestown and Williamsburg were highly populated by the beginning of the 1700s due to successful farming. Colonists were looking for more land to settle and grow tobacco on (remind them it is a cash crop). The colonists traveled northwest on the James River until they reached the Fall Line and Richmond. Remind students that waterfalls prevented further travel up river. Explain that Richmond was a better location for trade than was Williamsburg or Jamestown. It was a central location, and moving to Richmond increased the distance from attack by the English. Write the reasons for moving the capital to Richmond on sentence strips, and post in the classroom for easy reference and review.
   
   
6. Have the students brainstorm reasons why the colonists would fear attack from England. (List on chart and save for Session 8 when teaching the American Revolution.)
   
   
7. Give students “The Capitals of Early Virginia” (Attachment D) as a worksheet to reinforce their understanding of reasons for moving the capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg and from Williamsburg to Richmond. Check with Answer Key (Attachment E).