Brief History Of Jamestown, Va

The beginnings of English colonization in America were the result of a seminal change in power in Europe. Following the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the English became the dominant military power in Europe. England turned its eyes overseas in order to increase its power. England's earliest successful settlement in the New World was at Jamestown, Virginia, where the English first arrived in May 1607.

There had been an earlier attempt by the English to settle in America in 1585 at Roanoke, also in Virginia, but it had been disastrous; apparently all the settlers perished, their ultimate fate is unknown.

In June of 1606, King James I granted a charter to a group of capitalists, known as the London Company, to establish an English settlement in the Chesapeake area of North America. In December of that year, 108 settlers left London; their orders were to settle Virginia, to find gold and a water route to the Orient. The group landed on the banks of the James River 60 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Within a month they built a fort on the banks of the river. They named the settlement after their king, and established the English colony.

The colonists were the victims of poor planning and bad management. The London Company wanted to exploit the land and did not plan to develop farms to for the colony to become self-sufficient. They had unwisely decided to keep the colony stocked with supplies from England, the first of which did not arrive until 1608. The colonists were ill prepared to live in the unfamiliar climate and many became ill and succumbed to malaria and other diseases that were prevalent in their swampy home. The leaders of the colony were mainly aristocrats who did not know how to work and many of the workers did not want to work.

An important member of the group was John Smith. Smith was one of the most important early leaders of the English colonies. His strong leadership of his fellow colonists enabled them to survive the harshest of conditions. He made alliances with the Native Americans that allowed the trading of food that kept his people alive. If it were not for John Smith, this entire colonial experiment may have ended in failure.

Smith had lived a live worthy of a Hollywood movie. As a child, he admired Sir Francis Drake and wished to emulate the explorer. Not a nobleman, he was a self-educated opportunist, essentially a mercenary. He learned about war, realizing that his best avenue for advancement was within a military setting. He also studied social behavior and had tutoring in the art of being a gentleman. He realized he would never be accepted by the English society and joined the London Company on its voyage to the New World. During the voyage, Smith alienated himself from the other leaders and was confined to his quarters. The issue of class was believed to the cause of the difficulties. However, upon arrival in North America, he was given a reprieve. The aristocratic leaders needed a military leader to deal with the Native American population and they turned to the military expert for help. This was a perfect situation for John Smith.

The Powhatan tribe of Native Americans was already living in the area surrounding Jamestown where the English settled. The colonists traded with the Native American population. When the settlers ran out of supplies, the Native population provided them with enough food to survive until resupply ships arrived from England. Smith began to explore the area around the settlement seeking the elusive Northwest Passage to the Orient. Smith's ability to build trust and communicate was most useful during the explorations. He was able to trade with and convince the various tribes he encountered that attacking the English settlement would be a foolish option. Smith returned from his explorations with sufficient food supplies to allow the colony to survive. As a reward, Smith was elected president.

Smith kept the Native American population at arm's length by a combination of fear tactics and trickery. His harsh punishments were enough to keep an uneasy peace while he was in the colony. He was no less brutal dealing with the settlers, telling them to "work or starve". His tough leadership was effective, however, and

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