Virginia and Slavery On the surface, it makes little sense that men w

On the surface, it makes little sense that men who were near starving in a new settlement in the wilderness would waste their time bowling in the streets. Edmund S. Morgan's writing on the labor problem in Jamestown during the early 1600s sheds consider-able light on what appears to be a paradox. In the absence of historical records which might have revealed the attitudes and values of the settlers, Morgan pursued another avenue of investi-gation. The author's thesis was that recent history, and the popular ideas, habits, and culture of England during the 16th and 17th centuries would provide clues as to the attitudes, values, work ethic, and motivation of the Jamestown settlers. This investigation might even suggest why Virginians would later become the "masters of slaves."

Morgan began by presenting a picture of the bleak conditions at Jamestown: starvation, sickness, and hostilities with indians. Yet settlers wasted time and energy instead of engaging in pro-ductive work. Various leaders (Captain John Smith, Sir Thomas Gates, and Sir Thomas Dale) were able to temporarily get the settlers moving in the right direction, but th

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Category: History - V