About the Colonial History of Jamestown, Virginia

In 1606, just over 100 adventurers left London in three ships with a grant from King James to settle a British colony in the Chesapeake area of the New World. They were under the leadership of Captain John Smith. The group consisted of gentry, as well as artisans, farmers and laborers, with little experience on how to settle new lands. About 400 additional settlers arrived in 1609, who had been stranded in Bermuda for months due to a ship wreck. The colonists continually faced hostile natives, disease and starvation, but continued as the capital of the Virginia Colony throughout the 17th century.

History

The British settlers from the Virginia Company arrived at the James River, approximately 60 miles from where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the sea. It is believed they landed here because the water was deep enough to allow their ships to come close enough to the land to moor on the trees. The actual settlement, however, was built far enough away from the channel so the Spanish could not fire directly into Jamestown. The Algonquians attacked soon after the colonists arrived, so a fort was quickly constructed for protection.

Significance

The wooden fort, built over a month's time, surrounded the warehouse, church and houses, but the Algonquian natives continued to attack. In addition, the colonists did not fare well with the new surroundings. The swampy area was infested with mosquitoes, and the tidal waters did not provide a healthy source of drinking water. A large number of the colonists became ill from saltwater poisoning and suffered from fevers, typhus, dysentery and infection. After John Smith left in 1609, the winter killed 90 percent of the surviving settlers. In the summer, the remaining colonists decided to leave Jamestown. When Governor Lord De La Ware arrived with supplies and 150 additional settlers, these original settlers returned to the fort.

Prevention/Solution

One of the main reasons for establishing Jamestown was to look for additional resources that could be brought back to England. For the first several years, the colonists did not find any minerals or crops that would be of value. In 1612, Jamestown resident John Rolfe began growing tobacco. Instead of the harsh product that the natives smoked, he obtained seeds from the milder strain found in Trinidad and South America. This feat was possible despite the fact that Spain had promised the death penalty to anyone selling these seeds to a non-Spaniard. Rolfe was helped by Pocahontas, daughter of the Algonquian chief. it is believed that Pocahontas had considerable experience with growing tobacco and could offer her advice and tips to Rolfe. Pocahontas later married him and converted to Christianity.

Function

The production of tobacco greatly changed the lives of many people in Jamestown. Tobacco became very popular in both the U.S. and Europe ,and everyone in Jamestown wanted to grow it and nothing else. Laws were passed making farmers grow a certain percentage of food in addition to their tobacco. By 1619, ten tons of tobacco had been sent to Europe, and within two decades, 750 tons had been exported. This tobacco was just as good as gold to many people.

Features

The colonists also brought their government to the New world. The first representative assembly was held in North America in 1619 in response to a directive from London to establish "just laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people there inhabiting."
Ironically, at the same time as they were writing about "just laws," the first African-American slaves reached Jamestown. A Dutch slave trader accepted food in exchange for his human cargo to help with the tobacco crops. The African native became indentured servants, who needed to complete several years of labor to pay for their trip to America. They were not alone. There were many impoverished English settlers who were in the same situation. The idea of slavery based on race differences did not take place until several decades later.