As we have already observed, a settlement acquires the character of a colony only when it has become permanent, and the people, acknowledging allegiance to a parent State, are governed by organic laws.' According to these conditions, the earliest of the thirteen colonies represented in the Congress of 1774, was VIRGINIA. 4 [1619.] That was an auspicious day for the six hundred settlers in Virginia when the gold-seekers disappeared, and the enlightened George Yeardley became governor, and established a representative assembly [June 28, 1619]--the first in all America. And yet a prime element of happiness and prosperity was wanting. There were no white women in the colony. The wise Sandys, the friend of the Pilgrim Fathers, was then treasurer of the London Company," and one of the most influential and zealous promoters of emigration. During the same year when the Puritans sailed for America [1620], he sent more than twelve hundred emigrants to Virginia, among whom were ninety young women, "pure and uncorrupt," who were disposed of for the cost of their passage, as wives for the planters. The following year sixty more were sent. The family relation was soon established; the gentle influence of woman gave refinement to social life on the banks of the Powhatan;7 new and powerful incentives to industry and thrift were created; and the mated planters no longer cherished the prevailing idea of returning to England. Vessel after vessel, laden with immigrants, continued to arrive in the James River, and new settlements were planted, even so remote as at the Falls, and on the distant banks of the PotoThe germ of an empire was rapidly expanding with the active elements of national organization. Verbal instructions would no longer serve the purposes of government, and in August, 1621, the Company granted the colonists a written Constitution," which ratified most of the acts of Yeardley." Provision was made for the appointment of a governor and council by the Company, and a popular Assembly, to consist of two burgesses or representatives from each borough, chosen by the people. This body, and the council, composed the General Assembly, which was to meet once a year, and pass laws for the mac. 2 Page 71. 9 3 Page 71. 4 Page 77. 5 1 Page 61. Page 64. • Tobacco had already become a circulating medium, or currency, in Virginia. The price of a wife varied from 120 to 150 pounds of this product, equivalent, in money value, to about $90 and $112 each. The second "cargo" were sold at a still higher price. By the king's special order, one hundred dissolute vagabonds, called “jail-birds” by the colonists, were sent over the same year, and sold as bond-servants for a specified time. In August, the same year, a Dutch trading vessel entered the James River with negro slaves. Twenty of them were sold into perpetual slavery to the planters. This was the commencement of negro slavery in the English colonies [note 4, page 177]. The slave population of the United States in 1850, according to the census, was 3,204,313. ↑ Page 64. Most of the immigrants hitherto were possessed of the spirit of mere adventurers. They came to America to repair shattered fortunes, or to gain wealth, with the ultimate object of returning to England to enjoy it. The creation of families made the planters more attached to the soil of Virginia. 9 " Near the site of the city of Richmond. The falls, or rapids, extend about six miles. "The people of the May-flower formed a written Constitution for themselves [page 78]. That of Virginia was modeled after the Constitution of England. 11 Page 70. general good.' Such laws were not valid until approved by the Company, neither were any orders of the Company binding upon the colonists until ratified by the General Assembly. Trial by jury was established, and courts of law conformable to those of England were organized. Ever afterward claiming these privileges as rights, the Virginians look back to the summer of 1621 as the era of their civil freedom. 4 The excellent Sir Francis Wyatt, who had been appointed governor under the Constitution, and brought the instrument with him, was delighted with the aspect of affairs in Virginia. But a dark cloud soon arose in the summer sky. The neighboring Indian tribes' gathered in solemn council. Powhatan, the friend of the English after the marriage of his daughter,' was dead, and an enemy of the white people ruled the dusky nation. They had watched the increasing strength of the English, with alarm. The white people were now four thousand in number, and rapidly increasing. The Indians read their destiny-annihilation-upon the face of every new comer; and, prompted by the first great law of his nature, self-preservation, the red man resolved to strike a blow for life. A conspiracy was accordingly formed, in the spring of 1622, to exterminate the white people. At mid-day, on the 1st of April, the hatchet fell upon all of the more remote settlements; and within an hour, three hundred and fifty men, women, and children, were slain. Jamestown and neighboring plantations were saved by the timely warning of a converted Indian." The people were on their guard and escaped. Those far away in the forests. defended themselves bravely, and when they had beaten back the foe, they fled to Jamestown. Within a few days, eighty plantations were reduced to eight. 5 The people, thus concentrated at Jamestown by a terrible necessity, prepared for vengeance. A vindictive war ensued, and a terrible blow of retaliation was given. The Indians upon the James and York Rivers were slaughtered by scores, or were driven far back into the wilderness. Yet a blight was upon the colony. Sickness and famine followed close upon the massacre. Within three months, the colony of four thousand souls was reduced to twenty-five hundred; and at the beginning of 1624, of the nine thousand persons who had been sent to Virginia from England, only eighteen hundred remained. 8 These disheartening events, and the selfish action of the king, discouraged the London Company. The holders of the stock had now become very numerous, and their meetings, composed of men of all respectable classes, assumed a 1 This was the beginning of the Virginia House of Burgesses, of which we shall often speak in future chapters 2 The Powhatans. See page 20. 3 Page 70. * Powhatan died in 1618, and was succeeded in office by his younger brother, Opechancanough [see page 66]. This chief hated the English. He was the one who made Captain Smith a prisoner. 5 Opechancanough was wily and exceedingly treacherous. Only a few days before the massacre, he declared that "sooner the skies would fall than his friendship with the English would be dissolved." Even on the day of the massacre, the Indians entered the houses of the planters with usual tokens of friendship. 6 Page 64. 7 This was Chanco, who was informed of the bloody design the evening previous. He desired to save a white friend in Jamestown, and gave him the information. It was too late to send word to the more remote settlements. Among those who fell on this occasion, were six members of the council, and several of the wealthiest inhabitants. 8 Page 64. political character, in which two distinct parties were represented, namely, the advocates of liberty, and the supporters of the royal prerogatives. The king was offended by the freedom of debates at these meetings, and regarded them as inimical to royalty, and dangerous to the stability of his throne.' He determined to regain what he had lost by granting the liberal third charter" to the company. He endeavored first to control the elections. Failing in this, he sought a pretense for dissolving the Company. A commission was appointed in May, 1623, to inquire into their affairs. It was composed of the king's pliant instruments, who, having reported in favor of a dissolution of the Company, an equally pliant judiciary accomplished his designs in October following, and a quo warranto3 was issued. The Company made but little opposition, for the settlement of Virginia had been an unprofitable speculation from the beginning; and in July, 1624, the patents were cancelled. Virginia became a royal province again,5 but no material change was made in the domestic affairs of the colonists. 7 6 4 King James, with his usual egotism, boasted of the beneficent results to the colonists which would flow from this usurpation, by which they were placed under his special care. He appointed Yeardley, with twelve councillors, to administer the government, but wisely refrained from interfering with the House of Burgesses. The king lived but a few months longer, and at his death, which occurred on the 6th of April, 1625, he was succeeded by his son, Charles the First. That monarch was as selfish as he was weak. He sought to promote the welfare of the Virginia planters, because he also sought to reap the profits of a monopoly, by becoming himself their sole factor in the management of their exports. He also allowed them political privileges, not because he wished to benefit his subjects, but because he had learned to respect the power of those far-off colonists; and he sought their sanction for his commercial agency. 8 Governor Yeardley died in November, 1627, and was succeeded, two years later [1629], by Sir John Harvey, a haughty and unpopular royalist. He was a member of the commission appointed by James; and the colonists so despised him, that they refused the coveted monopoly to the king. After many and violent disputes about land titles, the Virginians deposed him [1635] and appointed commissioners to proceed to England, with an impeachment. Harvey accompanied the commission. The king refused to hear complaints against the 1 These meetings were quite frequent; and so important were the members, in political affairs, that they could influence the elections of members of Parliament. In 1623, the accomplished Nicholas Ferrar, an active opponent of the court party, was elected to Parliament, by the influence of the London Company. This fact, doubtless, caused the king to dissolve the Company that year. 2 Page 70. 3 A writ of quo warranto is issued to compel a person or corporation to appear before the king, and show by what authority certain privileges are held. * The Company had expended almost $700,000 in establishing the colony, and this great sum 5 Page 63. was almost a dead loss to the stockholders. • Page 70. 7 Note 1, page 106. He thus tacitly • In June, 1628, the king, in a letter to the governor and council, asked them to convene an assembly to consider his proposal to contract for the whole crop of tobacco. acknowledged the legality of the republican assembly of Virginia, hitherto not sanctioned, but only permitted. 2 accused, and he was sent back clothed with full powers to administer the government, independent of the people. He ruled almost four years longer, and was succeeded, in November, 1639, by Sir Francis Wyatt, who administered government well for about two years, when he was succeeded [1641] by Sir William Berkeley,' an able and elegant courtier. For ten years Berkeley ruled with vigor, and the colony prospered wonderfully. But, as in later years, commotions in Europe now disturbed the American settlements. The democratic revolution in England, which brought Charles the First to the block, and placed Oliver Cromwell in power,. now [1642] began, and religious sects in England and America assumed political importance. Puritans* had hitherto been tolerated in Virginia, but now the Throne and the Church were united in interest, and the Virginians being loyal to both, it was decreed that no minister should preach except in conformity to the constitution of the Church of England. Many non-conformists were banished from the colony. This was a dark cloud upon the otherwise clear skies of Virginia, but a darker cloud was. gathering. The Indians were again incited to hostilities by the restless and vengeful Opechancanough,' and a terrible storm burst upon the English, in April, 1644. For two years a bloody border warfare was carried on. The king of the Powhatans was finally made captive, and died while in prison at Jamestown, and his people were thoroughly subdued. The power of the confederation was completely broken, and after ceding large tracts of land to the English, the chiefs acknowledged allegiance to the authorities of Virginia, and so the political life of the Powhatans passed away forever. 5 8 10 During the civil war in England [1641-1649], the Virginians remained loyal; and when republican government was proclaimed, they boldly recognized the son of the late king, although in exile, as their sovereign. The republican parliament was highly incensed, and took immediate measures to coerce Virginia into submission to its authority. For that purpose Sir George Ayscue was sent with a powerful fleet, bearing commissioners of parliament, as representatives of the sovereignty of the commonwealth, and anchored in Hampton Roads in March, 1652. 1 William Berkeley was born near London; was educated at Oxford; became, by travel and education, a polished gentleman; was governor of Virginia almost 40 years, and died in July, 1677. 2 In 1648, the number of colonists was 20,000. The cottages were filled with children, as the ports were with ships and immigrants." 3 For a long time the exactions of the king fostered a bitter feeling toward him, in the hearts of the people. In 1641 they took up arms against their sovereign. One of the chief leaders of the popular party was Oliver Cromwell. The war continued until 1649, when the royalists were subdued, and the king was beheaded. Parliament assumed all the functions of government, and ruled until 1653, when Cromwell, the insurgent leader, dissolved that body, and was proclaimed supreme ruler, with the title of Protector of the Commonwealth of England. Cromwell was a son of a wealthy brewer of Huntingdon, England, where he was born in 1599. He died in September, 1658. Page 75. Page 75. 7 Note 5, page 106. Page 20. 6 Note 2, page 76. 9 4 5 • They relinquished all claim to the beautiful country between the York and James Rivers, from the Falls of the latter, at Richmond, to the sea, forever. It was a legacy of a dying nation to their conquerors. After that, their utter destruction was swift and thorough. 10 Afterward the profligate Charles the Second. His mother was sister to the French king, and to that court she fled, with her children. It was a sad day for the moral character of England when Charles was enthroned. He was less bigoted, but more licentious than any of the Stuarts who governed Great Britain for more than eighty years. The Virginians had resolved to submit rather than fight, yet they made a show of resistance. They declared their willingness to compromise with the invaders, to which the commissioners, surprised and intimidated by the bold attitude of the colonists, readily consented. Instead of opening their cannons upon the Virginians, they courteously proposed to them submission to the authority of parliament upon terms quite satisfactory to the colonists. Liberal political concessions to the people were secured, and they were allowed nearly all those civil rights which the Declaration of Independence,' a century and a quarter later, charged George the Third with violating. Virginia was, virtually, an independent State, until Charles the Second was restored to the throne of his father [May 29, 1660], for Cromwell made no appointments except that of governor. In the same year [1652] when the parliamentary commissioners came, the people had elected Richard Bennet to fill Berkeley's place. He was succeeded by Edward Digges, and in 1656, Cromwell appointed Samuel Mathews governor. On the death of the Protector [1658], the Virginians were not disposed to acknowledge the authority of his son Richard, and they elected Mathews their chief magistrate, as a token of their independence. Universal suffrage prevailed; all freemen, without exception, were allowed to vote; and white servants, when their terms of bondage ended, had the same privilege, and might become burgesses. 2 But a serious change came to the Virginians, after the restoration of Charles the Second. When intelligence of that event reached Virginia, Berkeley, whom the people had elected governor in 1660, repudiated the popular sovereignty, and proclaimed the exiled monarch "King of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Virginia." This happened before he was proclaimed in England.3 The Virginia republicans were offended, but being in the minority, could do nothing. A new Assembly was elected and convened, and high hopes of favor from the monarch were entertained by the court party. But these were speedily blasted, and in place of great privileges, came commercial restrictions to cripple the industry of the colony. The navigation act of 1651 was re-enacted in 1660, and its provisions were rigorously enforced. The people murmured, 1 See Supplement. 2 Cromwell appointed his son Richard to succed him in office. Lacking the vigor and ambition of his father, he gladly resigned the troublesome legacy into the hands of the people, and, a little more than a year afterward, Charles the Second was enthroned. 3 When informed that Parliament was about to send a fleet to bring them to submission, the Virginians sent a message to Charles, then in Flanders, inviting him to come over and be king of Virginia. He had resolved to come, when matters took a turn in England favorable to his restoration. In gratitude to the colonists, he caused the arms of Virginia to be quartered with those of England, Scotland, and Ireland, as an independent member of the empire. From this circumstance Virginia received the name of The Old Dominion. Coins, with these quarterings, were made as late as 1773. 4 The first Navigation Act, by the Republican Parliament, prohibited foreign vessels trading to the English colonies. This was partly to punish the sugar-producing islands of the West Indies, because the people were chiefly loyalists. The act of 1660 provided that no goods should be carried to or from any English colonies, but in vessels built within the English dominions, whose masters and at least three fourths of the crews were Englishmen; and that sugar, tobacco, and other colonial commodities should be imported into no part of Europe, except England and her dominions. The trade between the colonies, now struggling for prosperous life, was also taxed for the benefit of England. 3 |