- The document summarizes the early settlement of Virginia and Maryland in the 17th century. It discusses the founding of Jamestown in 1607, its struggles, and how tobacco eventually became a lucrative cash crop. It also discusses the growing slave population and the emergence of slavery as a racial institution. Conflicts with Native Americans and events like Bacon's Rebellion are described. Maryland was founded in 1634 as a haven for Catholics and passed a law in 1649 guaranteeing religious toleration.