Virginia Colony: Jamestown to American Independence (1607–1776)

1. Jamestown settlement established on James River

   May 14, 1607Labels: Jamestown, Virginia Company

   • Library Congress
   • NPS Jamestown

2. John Smith becomes a leading Jamestown figure

   Sep 10, 1608Labels: John Smith, Jamestown

   • Britannica Smith
   • NPS Jamestown

3. ‘Starving Time’ kills many Jamestown colonists

   Nov 1, 1609Labels: Starving Time, Jamestown

   • NPS Jamestown
   • Britannica Jamestown

4. Rolfe’s tobacco becomes Virginia’s key cash crop

   Jan 1, 1612Labels: John Rolfe, Tobacco

   • Britannica Rolfe
   • HISTORY Jamestown

5. Marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe

   Apr 1, 1614Labels: Pocahontas, John Rolfe

   • Britannica Pocahontas
   • Britannica Rolfe

6. Virginia General Assembly meets at Jamestown

   Jul 30, 1619Labels: House of, Jamestown

   • Britannica Burgesses
   • HISTORY Assembly

7. First documented Africans arrive at Point Comfort

   Aug 1, 1619Labels: Point Comfort, Enslaved Africans

   • Encyclopedia VA
   • NPS Marker

8. Powhatan attack of 1622 triggers long war

   Mar 22, 1622Labels: Powhatan Confederacy, 1622 Attack

   • Britannica Powhatan
   • NPS Company

9. Virginia becomes a royal colony after company collapse

   Jan 1, 1624Labels: Royal Colony, English Crown

   • Britannica Company
   • NPS Company

10. Third Anglo-Powhatan War begins with 1644 uprising

    Mar 18, 1644Labels: Opechancanough, Third Anglo-Powhatan

    • Britannica Powhatan
    • AmHistCentral

11. Jamestown burned during Bacon’s Rebellion

    Sep 19, 1676Labels: Bacon's Rebellion, Jamestown

    • VA Museum
    • Britannica Bacon

12. Treaty of Middle Plantation reshapes Native relations

    May 28, 1677Labels: Treaty of, Virginia tribes

    • Treaty 1677
    • Britannica Bacon

13. Capital moves from Jamestown to Williamsburg

    Jan 1, 1699Labels: Williamsburg, Capital relocation

    • VA Assembly
    • Britannica Jamestown

14. Virginia enacts comprehensive slave code

    Jan 1, 1705Labels: Virginia Slave, Virginia legislature

    • UNB Laws
    • Encyclopedia VA

15. Washington’s 1754 skirmish helps ignite wider war

    May 28, 1754Labels: George Washington, Jumonville Glen

    • Britannica Jumonville
    • NPS Jumonville

16. Virginia protests Parliament with Stamp Act Resolves

    May 29, 1765Labels: House of, Patrick Henry

    • Encyclopedia VA
    • Britannica Burgesses

17. Virginia adopts Declaration of Rights

    Jun 12, 1776Labels: Virginia Declaration, George Mason

    • Nat Archives
    • Encyclopedia VA

18. Declaration of Independence adopted; Virginia exits empire

    Jul 4, 1776Labels: Declaration of, Continental Congress

    • Nat Archives DOI
    • Nat Archives Timeline