John Smith In Jamestown Essay

John Smith in Jamestown Essay
John Smith in Jamestown
The leadership strengths and weaknesses of John Smith evoked a profound effect on the Jamestown colony. The fact that Smith actually arrived in the
colony as a common prisoner and was able to achieve the leadership role that he gained is amazing. His creativity and knowledge in certain areas
actually saved the colonists from attack and starvation in the early days. Some of the rules he enforced as a leader were actually instrumental in saving
the colony. His skill in dealing with the natives allowed him to gain their support and continue trade that resulted in the survival of the colony.
Christopher Newport, the admiral that transported John Smith and many of the colonists from England, left the Jamestown...show more content...
The colonists were desperate for food because it was the middle of winter. The raid failed because early German settlers that eventually joined the
natives, warned them in advance about the attack. After the failed raid, Smith returned to the fort to find the food storage infested with rats and
worms. By this time, Ratcliffe had been put under arrest and John Smith had become the president. As president, he then created a rule to make all
of the colonists work, or pay the consequences. Smith called an assembly and stated, "He that will not work shall not eat." (Price 108) The law
means if a man does not do any work, he will not get any food. By implementing this law, Smith ensured that most, if not all, of the colonists would do
their own share of the work that needed to be done. With the new work effort of the colonists, twenty houses were built, a well was dug, and thirty to
forty acres of crops were planted. All of that was accomplished in three months. Once again, John Smith had saved the Jamestown settlement.
Shortly after Smith introduced his "He that will not work shall not eat" law, the colony's new stock of food again became infested with rats. Smith
had studied different tactics for years while he lived alone in his cabin. He developed a plan for how to handle this situation. Smith "took a
divide–and–survive approach when their food ran low by dispersing into small groups." (Price 109) He called this
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Love and Hate in Jamestown Essay
David A. Price, Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Heart of a New Nation (New York: Alfred A. Knopf)
As a young child many of us are raised to be familiar with the Pocahontas and John Smith story. Whether it was in a Disney movie or at a school
play that one first learned of Jamestown, students want to believe that this romantic relationship really did occur. As one ages, one becomes aware of
the dichotomy between fact and fiction. This is brilliantly explained in David A. Price's, Love and Hate in Jamestown. Price describes a more robust
account of events that really did take place in the poorly run, miserable, yet evolving settlement of Jamestown, Virginia; and engulfs and edifies the
story marketed by...show more content...
The dominance of wealthy gentlemen and their lack of "working man" survival skills and motivation to do the hard work took its toll rather quickly.
By 1609, only two years after the crew's landing, food was scarce and the death toll was mounting.
John Smith surprised many by becoming a significant leader and a ray of sunshine in an otherwise increasingly desperate situation. He strategically
involved the Indians in order to increase the chance of survival of the colonists. This strategy caused him to develop personal relationships with
Indians; some good, some bad. Although captured and sentenced to death twice by Chief Powatan, he was saved by Powatan's daughter Pocahontas.
Many historians however, believe that Pocahontas did not actually save John Smith; they believe he was mistaking an adoption ceremony for his
execution. David Price writes that there is no way to describe what happened other than an impending execution. "Nothing is known about
seventeenth–century Powhatan adoption ceremonies, nor is any other tribe in North America known to have had an adoption procedure comparable to
what was undergone by Smith."(pg.243).Either way, the romance between Smith and Pocahontas emphasized in children's stories is seemingly
impossible; Pocahontas would have been eleven years old upon acquaintance with John Smith. Pocahontas

Causes Of Jamestown Colonists
It is known that many colonists in Jamestown died during the colonization, but what were the reasons? This colony, Jamestown, was the first successful
and permanent colony of King James I of England. Sickness was something that struck massively to the colonists who were new to their surroundings.
The water, which was contaminated with human waste, caused them to lose many of their people due to unhealthy conditions of living. Famine and long
droughts also killed many others. Another good example of the causes of deaths was due to the Indian attacks by the powerful Powhatan Indians.
Although they had periods of peace with the Jamestown colonists, they always had conflicts. Such as the time that the English captured Pocahontas, the
Indians did whatever it took to get her back. The colonists had many obstacles during the colonization with long famines, many Indian attacks, and
year–long diseases. For one thing, Jamestown had a huge famine in the winter of 1609. Droughts were a part of the ecosystem that helped
negatively. It made the people unfit to grow crops to eat and animals to grow to either use for labor or food. As shown in Document B, one of the
island's biggest droughts is when they arrived there. Also by the number of the people that arrived in the new colony, there were no farmers, which
meant there were really no people to grow crops. It's about an estimate that 43% of the people in Jamestown were gentlemen, meaning they were not
used to using their hands for work

Essay about Significance of Jamestown
What is the significance of Jamestown? "Jamestown introduced slavery into English speaking North America; it became the first of England's colonies
to adopt a representative government; and it was the site of the first clashes between whites and Indians over territorial expansion. Jamestown began the
tenuous, often violent, mingling of different peoples that came to embody the American experience." Dr. James Horn A Land As God Made It.
In the 1400's Europe had very little land for agriculture and settlement. The Europeans desired riches such as gold, luxury food items, land, and
timber. None of these products could be produced in Europe so they had to find these resources elsewhere. This led to a lot of importing and trading
with...show more content...
In 1585 he settled about 100 men on Roanoke Island, but they did not settle and returned a year later. In 1587 he sent another group to settle that
included a number of women and children. A supply ship was sent to the settlers but was delayed by the attack of the Spanish Armada onEngland in
1588. Help did not arrive until 1590, but it was too late and there was no one to be found. The attack of the Spanish Armada was spurred by King
Phillip the 2nd. His motives were religious as England seemed committed to Protestantism as well as for economic and political reasons. An English
fleet of 197 ships were able to conquer the invasion and led to Spain no longer being able to prevent the English from settling in the New World.
The plan at this time was for English colonies to go to America to spread the Protestant religion and expand the market for English woolens; this
would bring in valuable tax revenues. The American forests could be used for timber and naval stores to build a bigger navy and merchant marine.
Queen Elizabeth did not condone this as she was too cautious and so settlement was not acted upon until after her death in 1603. The new king James
the 1st granted licenses for two groups of English merchants to colonize Virginia. The first charter revealed the motives of the king when it spoke of
spreading Christianity and bringing the savages to civility along with the rights to dig, mine and search for all matters of gold,

Jamestown Research Paper
Jamestown essay Josh#18 It was not an easy beginning For the Jamestown settlement. The first group of colonist came there in 1607, and the last
group in 1611. They came in through Chesapeake bay, which is in Virginia, and sailed up James river then settled on a peninsula. The reason they
came was to find gold, teach the Native Americans about God, and find a hidden trade route to China. One thing that helped a lot was growing tobacco
and others.They were also not successful with any of their tasks.The reason so many colonists Died was for these three things mainly, Native problems,
environmental problems, and that they were not prepared to work. In my opinion the biggest thing that killed the most of the settlers was the problem

John Smith's Letter To Jamestown
In primary source readings 2.2 and 2.5 the reader can observe immediately that the two letters are very much unalike; the date, the writer, and the
subject of material. However once reading the letters the reader finds that both address the King, Charles, and also that both letters regard an issue,
although both issues are different they are both directed to the King for guidance. In the excerpt 2.2 John Smith is addressing a letter to King Charles
regarding the progress of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia. Smith compares the progress of Jamestown to that of the Spanish and Portuguese and
he explains to the king why Jamestown won't be as profitable as previously settled land. He believes they won't be able to have the same outcome in
Jamestown...show more content...
This letter is asking the king for protection from another tribe. The Narragansett's chief was captured and killed by the Mohegan tribe, resulting in
fear from the Narragansett people. In order to receive protection from the British king the letter is practically praising the kings abilities, "...of that
worthy and royal Prince, Charles, King of Great Britaine" (23) the Indian people want to ensure their protection by flattering the King. Another
approach they use in asking for his protection is to offer all they have, "...and give over ourselves, peoples, lands, rights, inheritances, and
possessions whatsoever" (23). In the letter the tribe also states that every member of the tribe agrees and consents to offer everything to the king
in exchange for protection. Although it is not stated the reader can infer that not every member of the tribe agrees to offer all their belongings to
the King. In addition to praising the king and offering belongings the tribe goes as far as to question the loyalty of the other tribes, "...of some of
his majesty's pretended subjects,"(23) in order to make the King favor the Narragansett tribe and offer protection. Also in this letter is a response
from the tribe addressing their summoning to Massachusetts, the tribe has decided that they will not be present at the suggested court date. The
tribe basically states that their own doings are more important, "Our occasions at this same time are very great..." (23), they also say that they
cannot appear in Massachusetts because of the fate of their fallen leader, "... and the more because of the loss of our late deceased brother..." (24).
The tribe goes onto say that their failing to appear in court is justified now because they follow the same leader, King Charles, and also because they
have offered al of their belongings to the King. The tribe finishes with suggesting that all small issues be dealt with

Sample Case Study Of Jamestown
Jamestown For a prosperous start, most people would look for the most advanced technology or the newest ways to survive but in the 1600s
nobody had a GPS or even a phone, so how would they be prosperous? First, I would assemble a great team of people who are willing to work
together in any situation. Not a team that would jump ship at the sign of any problem they wouldn't be able to handle. This team would need to
know how to grow crops and gather fresh water for surviving. Another thing the group would need to know is how to build shelter quickly and
efficiently. The New World they are exploring can get scary but as long as they stick together and have the necessary skills for survival, they can make
it anywhere. Next, I would give the

The settlement was called "Jamestown," after its king, James I, made possible a private enterprise whose purpose was to search for gold and
silver deposits in the New World, as well as authorize the creation of a route to the Pacific Ocean, which allowed them to establish a trade with the
East. A fort was built (James Fort) to protect against Indian tribes and a possible attack by Spaniards settlements in Florida. The first years were very
hard on the settlers. There were lack of local food, the difficulty of replenishing supplies from England, and the inability to cope with diseases killed
nearly 90 percent of the settlers at that time. Later, during the following decades, the colony expanded significantly in size thanks to a new group of

Jamestown History Essay
It is interesting that when the capital was in Jamestown they let it burn down three times before moving it to Williamsburg. To stop fires from
happening after the new capital was built in Williamsburg they barred off the candles and anything that could possibly cause a fire. Some of the
reasons the board for Williamsburg should mint a commemorative coin for the capital; are the importance, value, and relation to the motto "That the
Future May Learn from the Past", the relation to the past and present.
The most important reason initially to make the capitol into the 2016 commemorative coin is, that there were so many different discussions, debates, &
votes that took place at the capitol. Most of these debates, discussions, and votes were...show more content...
This shows the value to the present because of how it shows that we believed that we should at least let some of society get to vote on who was part
of the House of Burgesses. Besides choosing who was in the house the voting was kept mostly to only the burgesses. The Governor's Council was a
democracy selection for some time when both lieutenant governor and governor were absent the burgesses got to vote on the council. Though the
council was usually picked by the crown in England and they always picked wealthy plot owners.
Additionally, the motto "That the Future May Learn from the Past" relates to the capitol because of how we had a limited democracy, but then over
time we made it into a democracy with no limitations for the citizens. We learned this from when the law said only white men with land could vote.
This was unfair to a lot of people, especially when it came to voting for representatives in the House of Burgesses. The Governor's Council didn't even
go by democracy the king just chose some people who were white and had land.
In conclusion, the secretary after they moved into the building said it was too damp. So they then requested there be fireplaces and chimneys be put in.
This was okay until 1747 when the building caught fire demolishing it. The importance of the capital, the value of now, and the connection to the
motto, are all just some reasons why the

Jamestown Life Lessons
Some lessons that we could learn from Longtown are that every race is equal to the country and that we should have interracial marriages. A man
named James Clemens was a freed slave from Virginia who became a rich and wealthy farmer. Now the way we are living is becoming endangered
and being lost in Longtown because Longtown people are dying, and whites are moving in and buying their property. James Clemens
great–great–great–great–great–great–great–great–grandson is working to save his family's way of life. Connor Keiser (age 22) said that his childhood
is filled with memories with cousins of all races. Connor had said that "We were the usual Longtown family. We all looked different, and we were
taught that color didn't matter." In the 1880's

Jamestown Essay
Jamestown
In the sixteenth century, England was one of the most powerful countries in the world. England was also in dire need of money at this time. In an
effort to alleviate the country's financial burdens, King Henry VIII decided to seize land owned by the Catholic Church. Henry then sold the already
inhabited land to investors, and its residents were forced out. These people and their descendants would eventually become some of the fortune–seeking
colonists that would settle America during England's try at Imperialism.
In the early 1600's England need money once again, and this time it decided to by settling the new land to the west of them. Instead of actually funding
...show more content...
Although the colony was near water and had a good location for shipping goods, it was surrounded by a swamp and stagnant water. This allowed
disease to run rampant. Jamestown only lasted until 1700 when its settlers abandoned it, and moved Williamsburg.
The colonist's primary objective, as mentioned before, was to make money, and also try and drive out Spanish colonies. None of the colonists
concentrated on survival and focused on their search for prosperity. Because of all the time spent on looking for gold or the route to China, and their
lack of skills, the colonists were not prepared for the harsh upcoming winter. The results were devastating. During the winter of 1609 – 1610 almost
ninety percent of the colony was wiped out, and only 50 out of the 500 colonists survived.
The government of the colony consisted of a governor and 12 council members, all whom were appointed. The government, named the Virginia
Council, had no decision making power at all. Everything was sent over to England, settled there, and then sent back. This system was outrageously
inefficient and often took several years for anything to be resolved. This absurd and inept council was another reason the death toll at the colony was
so high. They couldn't force people to work on the colony. Finally, a man by the name of John Smith took control and opened the settler's eyes. They
started

In 1607 a group of 120 Englishmen who sought gold and other treasure established Jamestown, Virginia. This town was named in honor of King
James I who granted this land to the Virginia Company of London. The group of men did not in fact find treasure. More than half of the men
succumbed to starvation or diseases and died less than a year later. Of the original group of men only 38 remained. In response to this the Virginia
Company of London sent even more colonists to Jamestown, but many of the new settlers also perished.
One man named John Smith, an original founder of Jamestown, survived through the famine and disease. Smith was an experienced explorer studying
the ways of the military and even serving as a mercenary. In Jamestown he focused

Jamestown Colony Research Paper
The Jamestown Colony is a very important part of our country. What would it be like if Jamestown Colony never existed. Would we speak Spanish or
would Indians occupy the land? These English men gave up their lives to make our country. When the first English Colonists came over to America
they faced many problems, such as storms and indian attacks. They had three ships that they brought over the biggest one being called the Susan.
These ships carried anything from weapons, food, and people. They stopped several places along the way to replenish their supplies. When they landed
there boat they had several problems some of which they didn't know about. They had the Spaniards in the sea and 13,000 Native Americans
surrounding them, which

Early Jamestown Essay
The founding of Jamestown was brought about in June of 1606 when King James I, granted a charter to the Virginia Company of London. The Virginia
Company of London was a joint stock company established during this time with the purpose of growing settlements in North America. This group of
London entrepreneurs had hopes of profit in building a secure settlement on Jamestown Island, and with the help of three ships and 100 colonists, The
London Company became the first English Settlers in North America. Although at the time the land seemed perfect, many problems came about for the
colonists. For starters, the selection of the land although warm and abundant was surrounded by swamps bringing in a majority of mosquito carrying
diseases, including...show more content...
The Headright System introduced a new meaning to the labor shortage by granting 50 acres of land to anyone who was paying their way to Virginia.
With this being said, the new settlers were granted one headright while the wealthy individuals could accumulate headrights by paying for the poor
individuals, so in the end it worked out for all; land and no labor shortage. The second part of the plan was indentured servitude, where men and
women between the ages of thirteen and seventeen would agree to become unpaid servants to a master who would in turn pay their way to Virginia
guaranteeing population in the years to come attracting many new

Essay about Jamestown
Jamestown: The first English colony In spite of the many Indian massacres, Jamestown still grew to be a successful colony. The London Company
was the main founder of Jamestown. The London Company's founders believed that there were precious metals in America so they sent a group of
settlers to Jamestown. The trip to the Americas was not a very easy one for these settlers. They had to overcome many obstacles just to get to the
Americas. In 1619 the House of Burgesses was formed which marked the first legislative body in America. Jamestown was plagued by many disasters.
They were faced with one continuous disaster, Indian wars. They fought over land with Indians for many years. The London Company, creation of the
colony, and...show more content...
The company then dissolved after King James himself took over the association. The London Company was not a complete failure because without it
their would not have been any money for the exploration. That was the one of the only major thing that the company did as a whole for the colony.
The creation of Jamestown started on May 24, 1607. Captain Christopher Newport led three ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery.
"They named both the river and their colony after King James I of England" (Jamestown 28). They did not want to leave England completely or they
would not have named those two things after him. They probably felt that they needed to name these things after him because he was the main leader
and investor of the expedition. The colonies agriculture and Industry started off slow. "They failed to produce silk, grapes, and other items because of
the Virginia climate" (Jamestown 29). They had trouble growing these because they thought that they would grow as they did in England but the
climate was much different. They brought a lot of stuff over that they thought would work but did not and this trial and error resulted in a long process
before they finally found the first product that grew or worked. "The first agricultural products to be successfully raised were hogs and Indian corn"
(Jamestown 29). There was more than one leader that contributed to keeping Jamestown up and going. Captain

Jamestown Colony Essay
Jamestown is build in 1607, so many people want find a colony that free and get away from the laws because of the strict laws and harsh life in
England. So the "Virginia Company "carry the people go to America and those people build a colony name Jamestown This colony is found by
"Virginia Company "пјЊis be located on the Chesapeake Bay. When they build Jamestown they start to choose the governor пјЊbecause they all
gentlemen so they don't do any work, they just eat and sleep, one year later they don't have food to eat . When the London knew that they let captain
John Smith to be the governor, When John Smith go the this colony he released so many lows the most important low is if you don't do the work you
can't get food. At first those people don't want do work but when they heard they don't get food, they change they minds Jamestown have very good
...show more content...
And because of the population rising up very fast, they need more land to live so the British start fight with American Indian but because of the John
Smith was very friendly so situation is not too badпјЊ but because of a accident John Smith need go back to England And because of John Smith is
leaving so the people don't have governor,they start be confound and they don't work so they eat all the foods very quickly, and because they eat
all the foods they start eat animals, finally they eat all the things that they can eat,they give up and all the people is almost die at length they only
have 60 people and they start go back to England , so they use ship to go back and because they don't have enough food to eat so the most of them
get yellow fever and they die ,but they meet the new governor Lord de la warr the new governor got foods and so many people so they go back to
Jamestown to rebuild it. I think that colony is successful because this colony through so many difficulty things that can prove this colony is very

Jamestown: The Colony Of Jamestown
In this essay I will be talking about a colony called jamestown. Jamestown is a colony that started in 1607 when settlers landed on jamestown Island. A
few days after they landed they were attacked by powhatan indians. Then the settlers started to gather wood to build a fort. The walls were shaped like
a triangle with house inside it. The settlers tried to focus on making money but disease, famine, and sporadic attacks from the neighboring Powhatan
Indians took a tremendous toll on the population of the settlement. Sometimes the settler would trade with the Powhatan Indians for food

Jamestown Setting Analysis
The setting is early 1600's. It is very important, because it's the founding of Jamestown, and a beginning of our country. Jamestown was founded in
1609, with men aboard the Susan Constant, Discovery, and the Godspeed. The setting helps, because the way the author describes the setting, really
ties in with the history. The author explains the genisy that occurs to the natives, then later shows how it comes true. When the author first introduced
the characters, she gave them a detailed background. From there, she then ties there backgrounds to their experiences.

Jamestown Research
How is History important to our elementary school system. History is a wonderful lesson for students to learn. My topic is a simple topic.If I could
teach elementary students one lesson, I would teach a history lesson on Jamestown. Jamestown: Why was Jamestown built?, Was Jamestown the first
settlement of VA?, Who lead the colonist to Jamestown. Why was Jamestown built? Do you know why Jamestown was built?, I do! Jamestown was
built in 1607. The colonists wanted to leave England(Great Britain) because they wanted freedom from british rule. Although King James the first had
other ideas, he sent his british soldiers over with them. Jamestown was wanted by the British Parliament. Was Jamestown the first settlement in VA?
Yes, it was the first

John Smith In Jamestown Essay

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John Smith In Jamestown Essay