Format
1. The program begins by looking at the first attempts to colonize Virginia, including the "Lost" colony of Roanoke, and the landing at Jamestown in 1607.
2. The program includes an introduction to the economic and government structure of colonial Virginia.
3. The program will look at the creation of a tobacco culture, with an emphasis on the growing system of slavery.
4. The educator will share and discuss the primary sources and replica artifacts associated with the colonial era in Virginia.
5. The audience will examine specific individuals and situations to promote an understanding of the experiences of famous and everyday Virginians, and those who lived in Virginia, during the colonial era.
Objectives
The participant will:
-identify the attempts of European countries to colonize the New World;
-discuss the development of a representative government and the rise of a tobacco culture;
-examine the changing labor systems, including indentured servitude and slavery;
-be able to identify between primary and secondary sources
Standards Alignment
National Standards
Our programs are aligned with both national standards and Virginia Standards of Learning. While our programs can be tailored to suit learners of any age, they are initially designed for students in upper elementary and secondary schools.
State Standards
Virginia Standards
Virginia Studies
STANDARD VS.3a
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 General Assembly (1619) as the first representative legislative body in English America.
e) identifying the importance of the arrival of Africans and English 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 native peoples, including the contributions of Powhatan to the survival of the settlers.
STANDARD VS.4a
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 the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians.
c) explaining the reasons for the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg to Richmond.
d) describing how money, barter, and credit were used.
e) describing everyday life in colonial Virginia.