More Informations about the history of America

Some facts about Colonial Virginia
The first settlers come to found a colony in North America in 1585 when Walter Raleigh started a settlement. But soon the settlers died of illness. By 1591 all settlers were gone. Jamestown was the first permanent settlement in America. It was founded in 1607. The 104 colonists had come for gold, but soon they found out that they had to work hard if they wanted to survive. Only 53 of 120 settlers survived the first winter. Without the help of Indians no one would have survived at all. The settlers got the right to own land.
The first Puritans arrived in 1621. They had left England, because there King James 1. had taxed their business and had been against their religion.
Live in the colonies was hard. There were few food, supplies, many epidemics and people died early. But by the end of the 17th century the colonies had different export products:
Tobacco (in the north), rice, indigo and cotton (in the south).

Williamsburg
Williamsburg became the capital of Virginia in 1699. Thomas Jefferson was a radical law student there. The town became the political, social and cultural centre of the colony.
The Governors Palace was the home of the royal governors. The colonial parliament met in the capitol when Virginia declared it’s independence on May 15th, 1776. In this building Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and George Mason discussed the right of the colonies. And it was here where Patrick Henry called for rebellion with his famous words:
„Give me liberty or give me death. “

The Carter family
The Carter family, a dynasty of famous Virginias. In about 1640 John Carter emigrated from England to Virginia, built of the biggest plantations in Virginia and initiated the first slave transports. His son, Robert ´King´ Carter became Governor of Virginia. He had several wifes and many children.

Slavery
The story of African America in North America began in 1619 when a Dutch battleship brought 20 black men and woman to Jamestown. Up to that point indentured service (with took seven years) had common. Indentured service means, once their agreed working period had come to an end, the slaves were free again.
But it became standard practise for blacks to have to work their whole lives. In 1642 the slavery was officially legalized in Massachusetts, later other states followed.
From this point on blacks were seen and treated a property. The interested in black labour grew so much among owners of tobacco, cotton and rice plantations that the slave trade between Africa and America became a profitable business for white dealers.