what year was the house of burgesses founded
In 1620 the company dispatched a boatload of marriageable women to the colony in an effort to create a more stable society. The going rate was 120 pounds of tobacco for each bride. An additional inducement was provided by the company s effort to make local government in Virginia more responsive to the colonists. In July 1619, a meeting of the House of Burgesses was held in Jamestown, the first such assembly in the Americas. The initial session accomplished little, however. It was cut short by an outbreak of malaria.