The Virginia Colony failed to thrive before 1624 because the initial one hundred and twenty settlers could not explore any economic opportunities that would enable them to generate a profitable income. Since there was no means of standard economic subsistence, the settlers fell victim to the ravages and health hazards of the new environment, eventually resulting in deaths. Following this, other attempts were made to resettle populations of free white settlers. The king decided to provide incentives for resettlement, such as granting of fifty acres of land to any free man who decided to settle there. However, the discovery of tobacco managed to turn things around for this colony.
Further Explanation:
The history of the prosperity of Virginia is closely linked with the successes and failures of the Virginia Company in England, who were unhappy with the very little economic progress made by the colonists in Jamestown. A charter granted to them gave the Company exclusive rights to legislation, however, it had to be done within the limits of British laws. The rights of legislation vested full political authority with the Governor of Virginia, who began to rule it with an iron fist. The Company sent a new group of colonists to settle, however, they could barely find any suitable economic means to provide for their bare subsistence. Their condition began to worsen by the ravages of disease, health hazards, unsanitary conditions, and malnutrition. By 1618, there were certain reforms introduced by Sir Edwin Sandys, who began granting sub patents to land, encouraging wealthy elites to settle in Virginia. The administration was reformed, by diverging total authority from the Governor to a group of representatives who formed an assembly. The conditions of the colony changed with the discovery of tobacco, a cash crop. But the British government discouraged its cultivation, as they wanted the colonists to grow more corn. Finally, the economic condition of the colony changed with the introduction of African slave labor.
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Answer Details:
Grade: High School.
Chapter: Introduction of slave labor in the United States.
Subject: History.
Keywords: Disease, economic opportunities, British administration, Virginia Company, resettlement, the discovery of tobacco, unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, African slave labor.
