Danielle Varcasia

Fall 2009 History 216-02 From the Founding of Jamestown through the American Revolution

• Patrick Henry's Claim to Fame

  In 1763 with the Parson's Cause, Patrick Henry established himself within the revolutionary scene. The Parson's Cause case allowed Henry to show off his orator skills and his passion for words. He was a very long winded but eloquent speaker. Patrick Henry was different from most of the men of the gentry class at this time. He was mostly self educated, except for some Latin that was taught to him by his father. He was very much a self made man. Henry wanted to gain political power and wealth, but he attempted to go at it from a different angle than Washington and others.

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  • Wed, 21 Oct 2009
  • Patrick Henry’s Virginia: Deference or Democracy?

• William Byrd and The Carters (who needs an heir?)

  The Carters were and still are today one of the most prominent Virginia families. The house that now stands as Shirley plantation was the third structure that was built on the property. Edward Hill III owned the plantation, and he was the father of Elizabeth Hill who ended up marrying John Carter, who was the eldest son of Robert Carter. Elizabeth was smart because she was able to marry into one of the wealthiest families and she found the best qualified man in Virginia to run her plantation.

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  • Wed, 14 Oct 2009
  • Pride & Prejudice: The Rise of the Georgian Elite

• Rosewell and Sacred Ground

  In its hay-day, Rosewell was one of the most impressive houses of its time period. Built in 1726, (started by Mann Page) it was finished in 1737 by Mann Page II. Rosewell was set up so that the front of the house was seen from the river. Similarly to Westover plantation, these houses were meant to be viewed by merchants and people traveling on the river. It showed the wealth and status of the people that lived there.

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  • Wed, 07 Oct 2009
  • River Gods & Culture Wars: The Ruins of Rosewell & Christ Church

• Workers to Rebels; Bacons Rebellion

  In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon led a group of lower class whites, indentured servants and slaves in a series of treasonous acts against the colonial government at Jamestown. Bacon was a well off, well connected man and upper class standing who was previously involved with the government. When Governor Berkley chose to protect the Indians against raids from colonists, Bacon and many other farmers and servants were unhappy with this because it meant that the government was protecting the Indians instead of the colonists. This sparked the class confrontation that had long been feared by the gentry in Virginia.

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  • Wed, 23 Sep 2009
  • After the Fall: Virginia from the Dissolution of the Company through the Era of Bacon's Rebellion

• St. Mary's City

  The early culture of the colonial Chesapeake area was based solely on the production of tobacco. St Mary's City shows how important tobacco really was to the well being of everyone in the colony. By looking at how spread out many of the homes and buildings were, you can tell that each family needed and wanted as much land as they could to cultivate for the tobacco trade but also to harvest crops that they could subsist on.

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  • Wed, 09 Sep 2009
  • Founded Wholly on Smoke: The Tobacco Culture of the Early Chesapeake

• The Toy Settlement

  The Jamestown settlement was built to recreate the past for future generations of learning. Unfortunately, I found that there were many divides between what we've learned and read about, and the creation of the settlement.

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  • Wed, 02 Sep 2009
  • Worlds Colliding

• Jamestown: The Fumble to Success

  The story of Jamestown is one that many are familiar with. However with new discoveries constantly being made about the James fort, there are also new questions. Was the success of Jamestown really a fluke? Did the colonists survive because they knew what they were doing or was it simply accidental? From this weeks reading, we can see that the settlers at Jamestown had an image in their minds of how life in Virginia was going to be.

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  • Wed, 26 Aug 2009
  • Outpost of Empire—What really happened at Jamestown