The virginia company’s efforts in eastern north america

Hey there! 

The Virginia Company was a joint stock company including the Virginia Company of London and the Virginia Company of Plymouth. 

In 1606, King James I of England gave a charter to the Virginia Company, in hopes of creating a colony in the New World. There were three ships underneath the Virginia Company- the Susan Constant, the Discovery, and the Godspeed. Anyone who agreed to go was given 50 acres of land (after 1618 under the "Headright System". 

The boats reached the Virginia shore in April 1607, where Jamestown was then founded. John Smith took over the ruling of the colony in winter 1607 after the previous season had been poor, resulting in the death of about 540 of the 600 colonists. John Smith insisted that the colony switch from looking for gold to farming and being more self-sustaining. 

Somehow, John had managed to acquire tobacco seeds (probably illegally from Spain, where it was illegal to sell it to any other countries besides Spain)) and began to plant them in the colony. The tobacco was a success, and the colony flourished.  It began to move up the James River. 

The colony was lit on fire. John, desperate, sailed back to England for supplies. When he returned, he found the colony had vanished. 

In summary, the Virginia Company promoted the move to the newly found Americas by giving them land (after 1618) and increased possibility to earn money through the tobacco trade. 

Hope this helps! 
-Astro, Helper-In-Training 

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