| VS.3 |
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by |
| |
|
a) |
explaining the reasons for English colonization; |
| |
|
b) |
describing how geography influenced the decision to settle at Jamestown; |
| |
|
c) |
identifying the importance of the charters of the Virginia Company of London in establishing the Jamestown settlement; |
| |
|
d) |
identifying the importance of the Virginia Assembly (1619) as the first representative legislative body in English America; |
| |
|
e) |
identifying the importance of the arrival of Africans and women to the Jamestown settlement; |
| |
|
f) |
describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival; |
| |
|
g) |
describing the interactions between the English settlers and the Powhatan people, including the contributions of the Powhatan to the survival of the settlers. |
| VS.4 |
The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by |
| |
|
a) |
explaining the importance of agriculture and its influence on the institution of slavery; |
| |
|
b) |
describing how European (English, Scotch-Irish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians (First Americans) influenced the cultural landscape and changed the relationship between the Virginia colony and England; |
| |
|
c) |
explaining how geography influenced the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg to Richmond; |
| |
|
d) |
describing how money, barter, and credit were used. |
| VS.5 |
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by |
| |
|
a) |
identifying the reasons why the colonies went to war with England as expressed in the Declaration of Independence; |
| |
|
b) |
identifying the various roles played by Virginians in the Revolutionary War era, with emphasis on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry; |
| |
|
c) |
identifying the importance of the American victory at Yorktown |
Know that some European countries, including England, were in competition to increase their wealth and power by expanding their empires to America. 
Explain that the first permanent English settlement in America was Jamestown, founded in 1607 as an economic venture.
Explain the following reasons for English colonization in America:
• England wanted to establish an American colony to increase her wealth and power.
• England hoped to find silver and gold in America.
• An American settlement would furnish raw materials that could not be grown or obtained in England, while opening new markets for trade.
Know the following facts about Jamestown:
• Jamestown was primarily an economic venture.
• The stockholders of the Virginia Company of London financed the settlement of Jamestown.
• Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607.
Describe how location and physical characteristics influenced the decision to settle at Jamestown.
Know that when the settlers arrived in 1607, Jamestown was located on a narrow peninsula bordered on three sides by the James River. Today, Jamestown is located on an island in the James River.
Explain the reasons for the selection of the Jamestown site. Use the following information as a guide:
• The location could be easily defended from attack by sea (Spanish).
• The water along the shore was deep enough for ships to dock.
• They believed they had a good supply of fresh water
Understand that the king of England had the power to grant charters allowing settlement in North America.
Identify the importance of the Virginia charters:
• The king of England granted charters to the Virginia Company of London.
• The charters gave the Virginia Company the right to establish a settlement in North America.
• The first charter of the Virginia Company of London established companies to begin colonies in the New World.
• The charters extended English rights to the colonists.
Know that as Jamestown grew, the system of government evolved.
Identify that Jamestown became a more diverse colony by 1620.
Know that in 1619 the governor of Virginia called a meeting of the Virginia Assembly. The Assembly was a system of government that included two citizen representatives (called “burgesses”) from each of the divisions of Virginia, the governor’s council, and the governor. (At that time, only adult men were considered citizens.) By the 1640s, the burgesses became a separate legislative body, called the Virginia House of Burgesses.
Identify that the Virginia House of Burgesses was the first elected legislative body in America giving settlers the opportunity to control their own government.
Identify that the Virginia House of Burgesses became the General Assembly of Virginia, which continues to this day.
Know that the arrival of women in 1620 made it possible for the settlers to establish families and a more permanent settlement at Jamestown.
Know that Africans arrived in Jamestown against their will. It is believed that they arrived as baptized Christians and therefore were labeled indentured servants for a period of 5 to 7 years.
Identify that the arrival of Africans made it possible to expand the tobacco economy.
Know that the English colonists found life in Jamestown harder than they had expected.
Describe the hardships faced by the settlers, using the following information as a guide:
• The site they chose to live on was marshy and lacked safe drinking water.
• The settlers lacked some skills necessary to provide for themselves.
• Many settlers died of starvation and disease.
Describe the changes that ensured survival with the arrival of two supply ships, the forced work program and strong leadership of Captain John Smith, and the emphasis on self-sustaining agriculture ensured survival of the colony.
Know that the Powhatan people and the English settlers at Jamestown established trading relationships and for a while had positive interactions.
Recognize that Captain John Smith initiated trading relationships with the Powhatan.
Describe how the Powhatan traded food, furs, and leather with the English in exchange for tools, pots, guns, and other goods.
Understand how the Powhatan people contributed to the survival of the Jamestown settlers in several ways. Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, believed the English and American Indians (First Americans) could live in harmony. Pocahontas began a friendship with the colonists that helped them survive. The Powhatan introduced new crops to the English, including corn and tobacco.
Know that the Powhatan people realized the English settlement would continue to grow. The Powhatan people saw the colonists as invaders that would take over the land.
Know that the success of tobacco as a cash crop transformed life in the Virginia colony and encouraged slavery.
Know the term cash crop: A crop that is grown to sell for money rather than for use by the growers.
Explain that the economy of the Virginia colony depended on agriculture as a primary source of wealth.
Explain that tobacco became the most profitable agricultural product. Tobacco was sold in England as a cash crop.
Explain how the successful planting of tobacco depended on a reliable and inexpensive source of labor.
• Large numbers of Africans were brought to the colony against their will to work as slaves on the plantations.
• The Virginia colony became dependent on slave labor, and the dependence lasted a long time.
Describe how cultural landscapes reflect beliefs, customs, and architecture of people living in those areas.
Understand that although a colony of England, Virginia developed a unique culture different from that of England.
Describe how cultural landscapes reflect beliefs, customs, and architecture of people using the following information as a guide:
• Whenever people settle an area, they change the landscape to reflect the beliefs, customs, and architecture of their culture. Examples of cultural landscapes include
– Barns
– Homes
– Places of worship (e.g., churches)
Know the following place names that reflect culture:
• English — Richmond
A• merican Indian (First American) — Roanoke
Describe where various cultural groups settled, using the following information as a guide:
• English settled primarily in Tidewater and Piedmont regions.
• Germans and Scotch-Irish settled primarily in the Shenandoah Valley, which was along the migration route.
• Africans settled primarily in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions, where agriculture required a great deal of labor.
• American Indians (First Americans) were primarily in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions and the • Appalachian Plateau, where their traditional homelands were located.
Describe how migration and living in new areas caused people to adapt old customs to their new environment.
Understand that the culture of Virginia reflected American Indian (First American), African, and European origins.
Explain how geographical factors often influence the location of a capital.
Describe the factors that influenced the move from Jamestown to Williamsburg
• Drinking water was contaminated by seepage of salt water.
• Dirty living conditions caused diseases.
• Williamsburg was situated at a higher elevation than Jamestown.
• Fire destroyed wooden buildings at Jamestown.
Describe the factors that influenced the move from Williamsburg to Richmond
• Population was moving westward.
• Richmond was a more central location.
• Richmond’s location was better for trade.
• Moving to Richmond increased the distance from attack by the English.
Describe how money was not commonly used in early agricultural societies.
Know the following terms:
• Money: A medium of exchange (currency, which includes coins and paper bills)
• Barter: Trading/exchanging of goods and services without the use of money
• Credit: Buying a good or service now and paying for it later
• Debt: A good or service owed to another
• Saving: Money put away to save or to spend at a later time
Understand that few people had paper money and coins to use to buy goods and services.
Know that barter was commonly used instead of money.
Recognize that tobacco was used as money. A tobacco farmer could use his tobacco to pay for goods and services.
Understand that farmers and other consumers could also buy goods and services on credit and pay their debts when their crops were harvested and sold.
Know that colonial Virginia had no banks.
Understand that conflicts developed between the colonies and England over how the colonies should be governed.
Understand that the Declaration of Independence gave reasons for independence and ideas for self-government.
Identify, using the following information as a guide, the reasons why colonists and the English Parliament disagreed over how the colonies should be governed:
• Parliament believed it had legal authority in the colonies, while the colonists believed their local assemblies had legal authority.
• Parliament believed it had the right to tax the colonies, while the colonists believed they should not be taxed since they had no representation in Parliament.
Understand that the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, states that authority to govern belongs to the people rather than to kings and that all people are created equal and have rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Understand that Virginians made significant contributions during the Revolutionary War era.
Identify the varied roles of Virginians in the Revolutionary War era.
• Virginia patriots served in the Continental Army and fought against the English, leading to the English surrender at Yorktown.
• Some Virginians were neutral and did not take sides.
• Other Virginians remained loyal to England.
• African Americans from Virginia were divided about the war. Some slaves fought for the English because they were promised freedom.
• James Armistead Lafayette, a slave from Virginia, served in the Continental Army and was given his freedom after the war.
• During the war, women took on more responsibility.
Describe the contributions of Virginians during the Revolutionary War era, using the following information as a guide:
• George Washington provided military leadership by serving as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
• Thomas Jefferson provided political leadership by expressing the reasons for colonial independence from England in the Declaration of Independence.
• Patrick Henry inspired patriots from other colonies when he spoke out against taxation without representation by saying, “…give me liberty or give me death.”
Identify that the last major battle of the Revolutionary War was fought at Yorktown, Virginia.
Understand that the American victory at Yorktown resulted in the surrender of the English army, bringing an end to the war.
Below is an annotated list of Internet resources for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.
“The American War for Independence.” The History Place. <http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/index.html>. This site supplies historical information on the Revolutionary War.
“Charters of Freedom.” National Archives. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/>. This site provides the history of the Declaration of Independence.
“Early Virginia Charters.” <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/primarysources/virginia/before.html> and <http://www.jamestowne.org/Royalc.htm>. These two sites provide information about the founding of Jamestown. The first offers the text of the actual second charter from 1609. The second site describes all three charters.
“The First Legislative Assembly at Jamestown, Virginia.” <http://www.nps.gov/colo/Jthanout/1stASSLY.html>. This site describes the first meeting of the House of Burgesses in 1619.
“Governing the Colony of Virginia.” Virginia Places . <http://www.virginiaplaces.org/government/govcolony.html>. This site presents a concise history of Virginia from the founding of Jamestown to the establishment of the House of Burgesses.
Graphic Organizers. <http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/> and <http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm>. These sites supply a variety of graphic organizers to help students understand the content of the unit.
“Instructions to the Early Settlers of Virginia.” From Revolution to Reconstruction, and What Happened Afterward. <http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1601-1650/virginia/instru.htm>.
“The Jamestown Online Adventure.” <http://www.jamestown2007.org/kids.cfm>. This interactive game allows students to play the role of the Captain of the Jamestown Colony. They must make choices about food, health, wealth, and morale as they set about to establish the colony, relying on the advice of fellow colonists, an American Indian (First American) guide, and London Company instructions.
“Jamestown — Why There?” Virginia Places. <http://www.virginiaplaces.org/vacities/7jamestown.html>. This site provides the reasons the Virginia Company chose Jamestown as the first permanent settlement in Virginia.
The Library of Virginia. <http://www.lva.lib.va.us/>. This site provides access to multiple databases and millions of digital images of text, photographs and maps.
“Life at Jamestown.” Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. <http://www.historyisfun.org/PDFbooks/Life_at_Jamestown.pdf>. This booklet is designed to give students “an overview of the early life of English settlement at Jamestown.”
Revolutionary War. <http://www.kathimitchell.com/revolt.htm>. This site provides access to a collection of Web sites on the American Revolution for students.
Social Studies Curriculum Resources: Posters on Virginia Studies. <http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/vastudiesposter.html>. Users can click on “Virginia Gains Independence” for posters on the American Revolution.
Virginia Historical Society. <http://www.vahistorical.org/storyofvirginia.htm>. This site offers ten concise, easy-to-read chapters on Virginia history from prehistoric times to the present.
Voyage to Virginia. Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. <http://www.historyisfun.org/PDFbooks/Voyage_to_Virginia.pdf>. This booklet is designed to give students “an overview of 17th-century navigation technology and life at sea for crew and passengers.”
Documents of American History. Virginia Department of Education. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/AmericanDoc99.pdf>. This publication contains the text of The Constitution of Virginia, Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, Declaration of American Independence, Constitution of the United States of America with Amendments, and The Virginia Charters. It also includes a section on “Teaching the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Other Historical Documents.”
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Virginia Studies. Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint2VAStudies.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for Virginia Studies. |
