Jamestown and the Settlement of Virginia

Jamestown and the Settlement of Virginia book cover — cavendish square new york Primary Sources of Colonial America Jamestown and the Settlement of Virginia Ruth Bjorklund

Jamestown and the Settlement of Virginia — page 1 — INTRODUCTION Unprepared for Hardships Om December 20 1606 a group of 105 English boys and men set sail on three ships on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean In April 1607 they spied land As their fateful journey came to an end world history would be changed forever Their expedition led to the founding of the first permanent English settlement in what was to become the United States of America For several weeks the men explored on foot and by boat They were looking for a suitable location for a settlement On May 13 the group led by Captain Christopher Newport chose a location Captain Newport named the settlement after the British king James I The settlement was called alternately James Forte James Towne or James Cittie Today that settlement is known as Jamestown Once the site was selected the men began construction of a fort a storehouse a church and a few houses Most of the men had no intention of remaining for long They were on a 4 Jamestown and the Settlement of Virginia

Jamestown and the Settlement of Virginia — page 2 — Construction began on a fort and other buildings right after the settlers chose a location for Jamestown mission to look for gold and to develop new sources of wealth for the British crown Some of them were devout Anglicans who sought to convert the Native people to Christianity Early on a local tribal chief greeted the English He welcomed the men generously because the newcomers had assured him that their settlement was temporary The chief offered to share the tribe’s food and agreed to trade for goods However a more powerful chief Chief Powhatan lived a distance away and he was not inclined toward welcoming the English There were numerous clashes throughout the years leading to deadly consequences In June 1607 Captain Newport departed for England taking forty men and two ships loaded with timber Those left behind were ill prepared to survive in the wilderness As few had taken to farming the settlers had little food and were forced to rely on the native people’s willingness to share theirs By the time Captain Newport returned there were only thirty-five people still alive But the captain had brought supplies and more settlers including Jamestown’s first female 5 Unprepared for Hardships

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