Jamestown 1619: Representation, Religion, and Race

Summary

The sweeping reforms of 1618-1619 introduced by Sir Edwin Sandys and the Virginia Company of London transformed Virginia and subsequently had an enormous influence on the evolution of British America. Most historians have failed to comprehend the significance of the reforms and what they portended, either because they have adopted the dominant narrative that revolves around Edmund Morgan’s paradox of slavery in the midst of freedom or because they have written off Jamestown as a colossal failure of that merits little scholarly attention. 

This paper presents a completely different assessment.  It highlights the pivotal importance of events in 1619 by offering new perspectives on the establishment of representative government and the rule of law, the inception of private property, efforts to create a Christian Commonwealth, and the emergence of enduring and pernicious racial stereotypes applied to African and Indian peoples.   

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• From Fort to Port: Examining the Legacies of 1619 at Jamestown   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 977