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Merchant adventurers organized joint stock companies owned by stockholders and they shared in the profit/loss. In 1606 King James gives the London Company the right to develop a huge area of North America called Virginia. At this time Virginia extended along the east coast from New York to South Carolina and west from "sea to sea." No one had an idea of how huge the land they were talking about.

In 1606 the London Company sent 3 ships with 104 settlers to Virginia to build a town and search for gold, silver, and copper. On April 26, 1607 they landed on the James River and built a fort. This was a poor area to build since it was a mosquito infested unhealthy spot to settle. Yet, it was easy to defend from the 5,000 natives in the area. The first six months in Jamestown was a time of starvation and disease and of the 105 who arrived only 32 were alive at the end of that time. Jamestown was saved by the leadership of Cap. John Smith who arrived in 1608 and in 1616 tobacco was introduced by John Rolf. This saved the colony and in 1616 it exported 2,200 pounds of tobacco. In 1618 it exported 20 times what they did in 1616. By 1619 representative self government was begun in Jamestown and a House of Burgess's was authorized by the London Company. The first 20 slaves also arrived in 1619.

In 1620 the Mayflower landed in Cape Cod Bay and the Pilgrim's established Plymouth colony. In the first winter about half of the 35 Pilgrim's and 66 of the colonist were dead. By 1642 12,000 had settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where Boston is today. From this point on more and more people settled along the east coast and America was started.

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13y ago

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