Virginia was founded in 1607, when Captains John Smith, Christopher Newport and 104 male settlers arrived in Virginia aboard the GODSPEED, SUSAN CONSTANT and DISCOVERY. They were financed by the Virginia Company of London, which was granted a charter by King James I. The settlers named the area Jamestown, which was located on a low, swampy peninsula along the James River.

The original colony was plagued by corruption, mismanagement, and attacks from the local Powhatan Indians. By 1614, however, John Rolfe introduced a new kind of tobacco, which quickly became the colony's cash crop. In 1619, the House of Burgesses met for the first time in Jamestown, which represented America's first ever representative government. Today, the House of Burgesses is known as The Virginia General Assembly.

Although Jamestown ultimately failed as a colony, and had its charter revoked in 1624, it remained capital of Virginia until 1698, when Middle Plantation (now Williamsburg) was declared capital. The capital was moved to Middle Plantation because much of Jamestown had been ruined during Bacon's Rebellion (1767), and because the area was plagued with mosquitoes and had poor drinking water. Williamsburg quickly became one of the most important cities in all of the colonies, and Virginia became the largest colony.