Jamestown
The Virginia Colony
Coming to Jamestown
• In 1607, 105 men and boys from England
headed to America
• They came with one thing in mind: becoming
rich!
• The settlers hoped to find gold, silver, or other
riches
Location, Location, Location!
• Chose Jamestown because it was located on the
James River in Virginia
– The River could…
• Protect from ocean attack
• Provide an easy escape route (if needed)
• Carry goods
The Men
• Soldiers, adventurers, or men who wanted to
make $ quickly and return to England.
• Many were from the upper class
• Weren’t used to working with their hands
didn’t want to spend time building houses or
growing crops
Relationships with the Indians
• The settlers didn’t want to take time to
grow crops so they stole them from the
Native Americans.
• Caused a poor relationship between the
colonists and the Native Americans.
Jamestown is failing
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No gold
Swampy land = bad farming = no food
Disease (8,000 of 10,000 settlers died of Malaria)
Running out of available land
Poor relationship with the Natives
Jamestown’s Hero: John Smith
• John Smith= soldier and settler
• Tried to fix the relationship with the natives by becoming friends
with Chief Powhatan of the Algonquin tribe
– Traded tools, beads and copper for corn and beans to feed
settlers
– Made all colonists share the work and told them “those who
don’t work, will not eat.”
More Success!
• The House of Burgesses was created
– 1st govt. in America where a representative voted on
laws for the colony
• Tobacco became a HUGE cash crop
• Women came to the colony