Test Review:
Colonial Virginia
Events
1676 Bacon's Rebellion
- Insurrection led by Virginia planter Nathanial Bacon who disagreed with Governor William Berkeley's Indian land policies
- Bacon's men burned Jamestown in September
- Ended shortly after Bacon died of dysentery in October and Berkeley regained control over Virginia's government
1677 Royal Commission Report
- British Crown sent a commission to Virginia to investigate cause of Bacon's Rebellion
- Reported that the power of the House of Burgesses and the Governor's Council was too great
- Report led to reform proposals from the Crown; these changes contributed to many years of conflict between royal governors and colonial government officials
1684 Voting Rights Expanded
- Before this decision, vote was limited to male property holders
- Allowed men who did not own property but had signed a lease-for-life agreement to vote
- Because of this change, 70% of all Virginia's adult white men were eligible to vote by 1750
1705 Slavery Codified
- Virginia Assembly passed series of laws that established who was considered a slave
- Specified that all non-Christians imported into the colony would be classified as slaves
- Defined a "mulatto" as a child with any African relative
- Listed punishments to regulate slave behavior
1713 Tobacco Inspection Act
- Passed by the Virginia Assembly under the leadership of Governor Alexander Spotswood
- Required inspection of all exported tobacco
- Ordered the destruction of any tobacco that didn't meet government standards
- Very unpopular with wealthy planters
1747 Arrival of Samuel Davies
- Davies, a New Light Presbyterian minister, traveled to Virginia
- Criticized slaveholders for not teaching slaves the Christian faith
1754 First New Light Separate Baptist Church
- Established in Sandy Creek, North Carolina
- Spread quickly into Virginia
1760 Spread of Methodism
- Began with arrival of Roger Strawbridge, an Irish Methodist preacher, in Maryland
- Spread rapidly throughout the South
- Growth most dramatic in Virginia; by 1775, half of American Methodists found in Virginia
Places
Sam's Creek, Maryland
- Home of Roger Strawbridge, an Irish Methodist preacher who settled there in 1760
- First site of Methodism in the American colonies
Sandy Creek, North Carolina
- Site of First New Light Separate Baptist Church, established in 1754
- From here, the Baptist faith spread into Virginia, where dozens of Baptist churches were established by 1774
Virginia
- Became Britain's first royal colony in America, 1624
- England's most valuable colony by the end of the 17th century
People
James Blair
- Anglican clergyman who served as member of the Governors Council of Virginia
- One of the most powerful figures in Virginia from 1690 until his death in 1743
- Helped establish Virginia's first college, William & Mary, 1693
- As member of the Governor's Council, he fought against Virginia governors to preserve the powers of the House of Burgesses
William Byrd II
- Virginia planter who served in the House of Burgesses and on the Governor's Council
- Opposed efforts of governors to strengthen the executive branch of the Virginia Assembly
- Instrumental figure in the removal of Governor Alexander Spotswood, 1722
- Wrote Secret Diaries, in which he described in detail his abuse and sexual exploitation of his slaves
Samuel Davies
- New Light Presbyterian minister
- President of College of New Jersey (later renamed Princeton University)
- Spread theology of the Great Awakening to white and slave populations in Virginia
- Led campaign to teach slaves to read to help spread the teachings of his church
- Many of his followers questioned the practice of human slavery
Alexander Spotswood
- Lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1710 to 1722
- Under him, the Tobacco Act of 1713 was passed, requiring inspection of all tobacco intended for export
- During his term, fought with the wealthy planters who dominated the House of Burgesses for political control of the colony
- Forced to resign in 1722
Groups
Governor's Council
- One branch of the Virginia Assembly, Virginia's colonial government
- Had authority to write and pass legislation with governor's approval
- Often butted heads with Virginia's governors who sought to strengthen the executive branch
- Members appointed by the Governor
House of Burgesses
- Lower house of Virginia's legislative assembly
- Originally an informal council, but developed into key part of the government
- Had authority to write and pass legislation with governor's approval
- Often butted heads with Virginia's governors who sought to strengthen the executive branch
- Dominated by wealthy planters
- Members were popularly elected officials
Virginia Assembly
- Term for Virginia's colonial government after 1619
- Consisted of the House of Burgesses, the Governor's Council, and the Governor
- Members of House of Burgesses were popularly elected; members of Governor's Council were appointed by the Governor; Governor was appointed by the King of England
Concepts
Methodism
- Reform movement within the Anglican Church
- Introduced to the American colonies by Roger Strawbridge, an Irish Methodist preacher, 1760
- Spread from Sam's Creek, Maryland to the southern colonies
- Growth most dramatic in Virginia
New Lights
- Term for the preachers and church members who embraced the doctrines of the First Great Awakening
Old Lights
- Term for those who stuck with old styles of worship rather than adopt the new doctrines of the First Great Awakening
Folders in your Toolbar below to quickly find your saved stuff.
