Jamestown Virginia Essay

Inadvertently, early colonization led to the birth of slavery and formed one of the first major labor systems of one of America’s original colonies: Jamestown, Virginia. The late 1500’s were the start of missionary efforts to travel to the New World. Under the control of Queen Elizabeth I, settlers aspiring to conquer new land and to capitalize on its resources for profit embarked on voyages. The English began their journey in 1607. A crew including John Smith- landed along the Northeast Atlantic coast near James River, where they declared their settlement be named Jamestown, in recognition of their king, James I. Their missions were to convert the Indians to Protestantism and flip the unutilized land into produce profit. Virtually, the English …show more content…
Indentured servants were crucial to the production of their staple crop, to the extent that the loss of a single servant could jeopardize and entire crop. Servants also were known to negotiate for better compensation and lash out without their needs met. These issues were a key factor in the gradual growth of African slavery in Virginia in the seventeenth century. But from the 1670s, when the arrival of African slaves began representing a portion of Virginia’s labor force, controlling the remaining servants became even more strenuous. Officials then transferred the contracts over to individuals with estates who reimbursed the Virginia Company. This is where the servitude of workers under private parties originated. African slaves proposed a permanent solution giving Virginia’s landowners prime capital. Replacing indentured servants with slaves projected to ensure capital and advancement in the labor market. Increased importation of African slaves to Virginia was a pivotal factor in establishing a stable economic and political structure where this self-governed colony monopolized economic, social, and political