Southern Colonies Virginia Founded by John Smith in 1607

1
Southern Colonies Virginia Founded by John
Smith in 1607

• Presented by Lucas Haller and Tori Meyer

2
Geographical Characteristics and Climate

• The Southern Colonies has rivers, bays, and
  wetlands.
• The climate and soil of the tidewater were
  excellent for farming.
• The southern Colonies had rich soil, had a long
  growing season, and had a warm and damp climate.

3
REASON FOR SETTLEMENT

• The first colonists came to Virginia to search
  for gold.
• When they realized that there was no gold there
  many started plantations on the rich soil of the
  tidewater.

4
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

• The Virginia colonists were Anglicans.
• Going to church was an important affair.
• People think it should be a all day event.
• Puritans, Quakers, and others who were not
  Anglican had to leave the colony.

5
GOVERNMENT

• As Virginia grew, colonists wanted to have a
  voice in the laws of the colony.
• In 1619, colonists created the first elected
  legislature in the colonies.
• Colonists elected the Burgesses but only planters
  and other white men who owned were allowed to
  vote or be elected.
• In 1632, the House of Burgesses made the Anglican
  Church the official church of Virginia.

6
EDUCATION

• Most children were educated at home.
• Children learned how to read and write only if
  their parents could teach them.
• Their parents hired teachers to instruct the
  children in reading, writing, dancing, and music.

7
AGRICULTURE\ MANUFACTURING

• They sold crops to earn money like tobacco, rice,
  wheat, and corn.
• They also grew indigo which was very hard to grow
  and had little success.
• Cash crops grew very well.

8
SETTLEMENTS\HOMES

• In the backcountry their houses were simple
  wooden cabins to most farming families who lived
  west of the tidewater.
• Most of theirs belongings were made by hand or
  traded from others.
• The planters family usually lived in a grand
  mansion and they were often decorated with fine
  furniture.
• A plantation is a large farm on which crops are
  raised by workers who live on the farm.

9
TOWNS\CITIES

• One of Virginias towns and cities is Jamestown.
• Another one of Virginia's towns and cities is
  Williamsburg.
• The last town and city in Virginia is Richmond.

10
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

• In 1607, Virginia became the first permanent
  English colony in North America.
• The children of wealthy planters lived fairly
  easy lives.
• Most plantation workers were indentured servants
  or enslaved Africans.
• Many plantation owners, or planters became
  wealthy by growing and selling cash crops such as
  tobacco and rice.

11
IMPORTANT PEOPLE TO KNOW

• John Smith and others were important people to
  know because they founded Virginia.
• Also, colonists were important people to know
  because they elected the Burgesses to make laws.