DBQ #1: The Transformation of Colonial Virginia In 1606, hundreds of settlers embarked on a journey from England to the Virginia colony. They were in search of a new life, and wealth. Early on in their journey, they encountered many hardships, as expressed by George Percy (Doc. A). With the use of the indentured servants and slaves they were able to transform the Virginia colony by basing their economy around tobacco. During the beginning of their voyage, the settlers encountered many hardships. (Doc. A). They were crammed onto ships, so communicable diseases spread very easily (Doc.
D). There was little food, so many of them died of starvation. When they finally arrived, they were introduced to even more diseases. On top of starvation, and chronic diseases, some died in wars. After they reached Virginia, they were given contracts with various people who had already settled there (Doc. C). With the use of tobacco, they were able to completely transform their economy. The demand for tobacco products in Europe was increasing, and the Virginians knew it. They began to focus most of their attention on tobacco plantations.
They had created one of the first products to be marketed with name-brand advertising (Doc. B). The economy was taking off, and the tobacco plantations were expanding so they needed more workers. Fortunately, approximately fifteen hundred indentured servants were coming from England, Scotland, and Ireland per year according to Governor William Berkeley (Doc. E). These settlers also changed the colony of Virginia socially. When they first arrived, the population of Virginia was basically zero, excluding the Native Americans.
Within 71 years, there were approximately two thousand black slaves and six thousand Christian indentured servants. The population had also reached forty thousand people. Within around 70 years, the settlers had revolutionized the Virginia colony. They endured many hardships, and overcame them. They caused the population to go from zero to forty thousand. They created a flourishing economy from a plant. They created one of the first advertised products in the world. In the end, they developed a successful and prosperous colony.
