We recently celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the “firecracker” moment of America 250 and our country’s first step toward the creation of a new country, independent from Great Britain, poised for self-government. And while the Declaration — penned by a young Thomas Jefferson — includes perhaps the most recognizable and stirring words in our nation’s history, warfare with the world’s strongest military power was not the beginning of our desire for self-government.
During the next few weeks, as the commemoration of America 250 continues, we’ll trace the roots and growth our path toward liberty, equality, and justice. (We’re still walking that course...)
Let’s start at the beginning.
The first permanent English settlement in North America was Jamestown, Virginia, established in 1607. Most people have forgotten that the primary objectives of the colony were to find gold, locate a water route to the Pacific Ocean, and establish an English presence that might hold the growing Spanish Empire in place.
Three ships — the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery — transported 104 English men and boys to the new settlement, named for King James I of England. The Virginia Company chose a site 60 miles up the James River that offered deep-water anchorage and a measure of protection against raiding Spanish ships.
It sounded good, but there were problems — severe problems.
The swampy landscape was a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and the water supply for the colonists was heavily polluted. Dysentery and typhoid plagued the colony.
They arrived in May, which was too late to plant crops, even if they possessed any agricultural experience. Most did not, and searching for gold certainly seemed more exciting than hoeing and planting.
And then there were the neighbors — more than 30 Algonquian-speaking tribes ruled by Chief Powhatan. While trade would occur, it was a tentative relationship that sometimes devolved into sieges and warfare.
By the “Starving Times” of 1609–1610, conditions deteriorated quickly and the colonists were trapped inside their fort without food. The stories tell us that they ate their horses, cats, dogs, shoe leather, and perhaps even the unthinkable option for survival. Less than 60 of the colonists survived that winter.
How did the colony survive so that we descendants of Jamestown can speak with pride about our ancestry? It was not an easy road.
When Captain John Smith took control and enforced the policy “He that will not work shall not eat,” some of the gentlemen learned to farm and a “corn trade” with Powhatan was instituted.
When the 1609–10 crisis occurred, the colonists abandoned Jamestown and moved downriver until forced by the relief expedition led by Lord De La Warr to return to the original site and rebuild. A new group of colonists and supplies helped reestablish the settlement, but they struggled until John Rolfe introduced a sweet Caribbean tobacco that created the much-needed cash crop and saved Jamestown.
Now, let’s get back to our story.
In 1619, the colonists established a General Assembly where 22 elected burgesses represented 11 distinct settlements, introducing the concept of popular representation to the New World. Imagine — only a few brief years after almost certain disaster for Jamestown, the colonists acted on their concept of an inherent right to have a voice in their own taxation and local laws.
The Virginia House of Burgesses became the crucible that “refined” many of the leaders who would later spearhead the American Revolution and draft our U.S. Constitution. George Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Richard Henry Lee learned statecraft, legislative navigation, and debate skills during their service in the House of Burgesses.
Was it a good training ground? Consider these men and their role in our nation’s founding.
Washington served as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, chairman of the Constitutional Convention, and our first president (elected unanimously!). He is remembered as the father of our country.
Jefferson penned the Declaration, while Henry became the firebrand for revolution with his infamous words, “I know not what course others may choose, but, as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!”
Mason is recognized as the father of the Bill of Rights, and Lee introduced the resolution for independence to the Second Continental Congress.
Yes, the Virginia House of Burgesses, the first representative body in the English colonies, served as the initial step toward self-government. It was a mighty leap that defied Parliament and planted the idea of Liberty in the hearts of Virginians.
Only one year later, the Mayflower Compact would be written off the coast of Massachusetts. The winds of self-government were continuing to blow.
Next time, friends. Next time.
