What was the Virginia Company of London and why is it important?
The Virginia Company of London was first chartered in 1606 by King James I. It was created in an attempt by the English Crown to strengthen its standing in international politics through colonization efforts, particularly in competition with Spain, and was one of the first examples of English colonization and exploitation in the Americas. The company was, however, a massive economic failure, and in 1624, not even twenty years after it was first established, its charter was revoked and it was absorbed by the English Crown. The Virginia Company of London did not only colonize the area of Virginia during this time period; in 1612 in their third charter, the area of the VC grew to include Bermuda, which was “discovered” by George Somers, a member of the VC. During this period, language used by the English surrounding different groups of people, such as the Native Nations of Virginia, indentured child labor, and the Irish, began to develop simultaneously with the brutal colonization efforts by the English and the progression of capitalism. Thus, it is important to look at the Virginia Company as a catalyst for the development of language and descriptions surrounding different groups of people, and how this language was created from subjugation and economic greed.
For more reading on the Virginia Company, check out the Encyclopedia Virginia article on the Virginia Company, which was used as a source for this page.
Our Sermon Sub-Corpora
During the time of the Virginia Company, to mitigate the financial loss, the company would enlist several preachers to extol the virtues of the company and try to persuade English citizens to either go to Virginia or invest in Virginia as a spiritual duty. The competition for the colonization and exploitation of the Americas against Spain also had a religious aspect. As Spain was a heavily Catholic nation, and England heavily Protestant, the Virginia Company tried in their attempts to have Englishmen come to Virginia to emphasize that they would be able to proselytize the Native Nations of Virginia to Protestantism and not Catholicism before the Spanish did, thus not only turning an economic profit but also a spiritual profit, or a “profit of souls”. We created a corpus of these specific Virginian sermons to train and analyze for word frequency and association, as well as to gather some insight on religious or spiritual profit via close-readings. Some texts in this corpus are:
1. A sermon preached in london before the right honorable the lord lavvarre, lord gouernour and captaine generall of virginea… By William Crashaw preached in 1610.
2. Virginia’s god be thanked, or A sermon of thanksgiving for the happie successe of the affayres in virginia this last yeare. preached… in london, december 22. 1616. London, By Patrick Copland published in 1622 and preached in 1616.
3. A sermon preached at paules crosse the seauenth of may, M.DC.IX. by george benson .. London, By George Benson preached in 1609.
5. Virginia. A sermon preached at white-chappel, in the presence of many, honourable and worshipfull, the aduenturers and planters for virginia. 25. april. 1609 published for the benefit and vse of the colony, planted, and to bee planted there, and for the aduancement of their christian purpose. by william symonds, preahcer at saint sauiors in southwarke. By William Symonds, preached in 1609.
7. A good speed to virginia. By Robert Gray, preached in 1609.
