WHAT IS AGRICULTURE? Settling Virginia VS. 4 Farming: It includes growing crops and/or raising livestock. growing crops raising animals The economy of colonial Virginia was based on agriculture. Most Virginians earned a living farming. So AGRICULTURE was the main source of money and wealth. As a farmer, you would want to grow crops that make the most money. Can you guess which crop that was? Tobacco was so valuable, that colonists even used it like money to buy and trade for things. That is right-tobacco was used to buy things. Tobacco became the most profitable agricultural product. The good news was that tobacco was the crop that would earn farmers lots and lots of money. Tobacco was sold in England as a cash crop. WHAT IS A CASH CROP? A cash crop is a crop that is raised to sell for money rather than used by the grower.
The problem tobacco farmers had was that it took a lot of people to grow tobacco. It is what we call labor intensive. Farmers needed a steady and inexpensive source of labor. The bad news was that tobacco was a big reason for slavery. You see farmers found their steady and inexpensive source of labor enslaved Africans. African men, women, and children were brought to the colony against their will to work on plantations. Tobacco caused the Virginia colony to become dependent on slave labor, a dependence that lasted over 200 years. Tobacco growing encouraged slavery. Culture of Colonial Virginia Thousands of Europeans (mainly English, Scots-Irish, and Germans) came to settle all over colonial Virginia. They came with the hopes of making money and a better life. Whenever people settle an area, they change the culture and the landscape to reflect their beliefs, customs, and architecture. This basically means that you bring your way of life with you and blend it with the beliefs, customs, and architecture of where you settle. If you built any buildings, you would probably build them to look like the ones you left behind in your homeland.
Examples of architecture include: homes barns places of worship (churches) The names of places could also reflect culture. Some examples are: Richmond- is an English name Roanoke- is an American Indian name WHERE DID DIFFERENT CULTURES SETTLE IN EARLY VIRGINIA? English and other Europeans settled primarily in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions. Germans and Scots-Irish settled primarily in the Shenandoah Valley, which was along the migration route.
Africans settled primarily in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions, where tobacco agriculture required a great deal of labor. American Indians-Before the arrival of settlers, American Indians lived throughout Virginia, especially near waterways. After the settlers arrived, most American Indians were forced inland. Migration and living conditions in new areas caused people to adapt old customs to their new environments. The culture of colonial Virginia reflected the people who lived here: American Indians Africans Europeans
WHY WAS THE CAPITAL OF VIRGINIA MOVED FROM JAMESTOWN TO WILLIAMSBURG? Drinking water was contaminated by seepage of salt water. Unhealthy living conditions caused diseases. Fire destroyed the wooden and brick buildings at Jamestown. WHY WAS THE CAPITAL OF VIRGINIA MOVED FROM WILLIAMSBURG TO RICHMOND? Virginia s population was moving westward. Richmond was a more central location. Moving to the capital to Richmond increased the distance from the sea and possible attack by the British. (This will happen during the Revolutionary
Terms to know: Money: a medium of exchange (currency included 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 spend at a later time WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN THE VIRGINIA COLONY? Few people had paper money and coins to buy goods and services. Barter was commonly used instead of money. You could trade or exchange for things you wanted. Tobacco was used to pay for things. A tobacco farmer could use his tobacco to pay for goods and services. Farmers and other consumers could also buy goods and services on credit and pay their debt when their crops were harvested and sold. Colonial Virginia had NO BANKS, so using bills and coins was not very common.
People who lived in colonial Virginia depended on: Natural Resources Human Resources Capital resources: It was up to the colonists to provide for themselves. No Wal- Mart to run to! Food - food choices were limited. -meals were made of local produce and meats Housing -most people lived in one room homes with dirt floors -some lived in larger homes
Clothing -households made their own clothes -most clothing was made from cotton, wool, or leather cotton wool leather HOW WAS EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL VIRGINIA DIFFERENT FOR WHITES, ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS, AND FREE AFRICAN AMERICANS? White Virginians- Most white Virginians made their living from the land as small farmers. A few owned large farms (plantations) and were called planters. farmer planter
Enslaved African Americans Most enslaved Africans worked on plantations working with: tobacco crops livestock Enslaved African Americans had no rights. Free African Americans There were some free African Americans. Many free African Americans owned their own business and property-but were denied most rights.