Jamestown, established in June 1607 under a charter from King James I, was the first permanent English settlement in North America but faced significant challenges including disease, food shortages, and conflicts with the Powhatan natives. The colony's survival was aided by leadership changes, particularly that of John Smith, who enforced the rule 'he that will not work shall not eat,' leading to increased productivity. Despite enduring many hardships, including high mortality rates, Jamestown ultimately laid the groundwork for future British colonial endeavors in America.

1. 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
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2. 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
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3. Geography Of Jamestown
Jamestown Geography Jamestown land was desirable because of the many trees for building houses
and ships,growing crops, and good hunting ground. Their enemies didn't really want them on their
land so Jamestown had to build a fort to protect themselves from getting killed. In the beginning
many people in Jamestown ended up starving and dying Because of salt poisoning from drinking too
much salt water. Colonists experienced very hot and humid summers, and mild winters. There were
a lot of bays where boats could transport goods. Jamestown Economy,Environment,and Relationships
The colonists were very poor until they found a way to make money off of tobacco. They were in
relationships with the indians. The Colonists in Jamestown made a living
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4. Essay On Jamestown Disease
Jamestown, an English colony, was in a constant spiral of death and struggles that included
diseases, lack of resources and the Powhatan (natives) between 1607 and 1611. Diseases including
multiple waterborne diseases from brackishness and a few others just in general. The lack of
resources that included clean water and food in general as well as people that defended the
colony. The colony was also faced with the challenge of the Powhatan from bad trades to war,
they were basically rivals the entire time of 1607 to 1611 were there. Diseases played a big role
in Jamestown's life throughout their history. Causing "neere halfe" (Document E) of the deaths in
Jamestown, there had to be a reason. That reason is "brackish water" (Document A) or unclean
water caused by the lack of strong currents in the river all of the disease origins such as feces of
animals and humans settles and does not wash away. Since they had the disease in their only
freshwater source, the lacked a major resource. The major resource lack of clean water lead to many
disease...show more content...
Trading with them generally made things better but as the droughts went on relations got worse
because trades with the Powhatan's for food didn't happen (Document B). Both of these things
resulted in a death count almost to the height of disease. All in all only 100 of the 500 colonists in
Jamestown survived. Jamestown, an English colony, was in a constant spiral of death and
struggles that included diseases, lack of resources and the Powhatan (natives) between 1607 and
1611. First, disease struck the colony only to be followed by drought and famine only to cause a
war between the Powhatan (Natives) and the English colonists. It will always to be important to
know the history of our great nation that we call
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5. 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
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6. 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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7. 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 on England
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,
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8. The Labor Problem At Jamestown Summary
The Labor Problem at Jamestown, 1607–1618
By
Edmund S. Morgan
In 1502, Columbus set sailed on his last voyage to the New World. The year 1606, James I issues a
charter to the Virginia Company for tract of land along the mid–Atlantic coast. This led to
Jamestown. The first settlement in America was Jamestown. It was established in 1607 with a 104
male settlers, which was led my John Smith. This article is about the early hard times with
Jamestown. Soon it led up to the American Revolution, but the article only goes up to 1618. The
article overall idea was the problem with labor in Jamestown. It talked about the people, laws,
wealth, etc. The main points in this article were: Spanish discovers, Native American troubles, and
working...show more content...
"The company in England was convinced by 1609 that the settlers would have to grow at least
part of their own food,"(page 5, Morgan). The settlers had to step up since Indian labor plan was
not going to work well. The task they had to accomplish depended on their life. Settlers had to
work from five in the morning to around eight at night. Winter conditions changed the time a
little by taking off about 2 hours. Complaints started coming up about laziness and irresponsibility
from the workmen. People started raising prices to survive. Men were always hungry barely
having the energy to work. That was one of the excuses some men brought up to explain why
there working they way they are. The author explains more indebt of the laziness and problems.
Even men with large amounts of land could not afford labors. The government issued laws for
problems with work and labor, " Sometimes men were obliged to take on a poor boy as a servant
whether they needed him or not. The parish might lighten the burden by paying a fee, but it might
also fine a man who refused to take a boy assigned to him,"(page 7, Morgan). Things were falling
apart.
Jamestown was mostly used for pasture farming areas. It was used to grow grain for bread. They
got a lot of their food from the woods where there were nuts and berries. " The most obvious English
analogy to the Jamestown settlement was that of a military expedition,"(page 9, Morgan). Jamestown
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9. Essay On Early Jamestown
Living in the area of Jamestown caused death to many colonists. In 1607 English colonists
traveled through the Chesapeake Bay, up the James River, and entered Jamestown. These settlers
came to Jamestown to talk about the religion they believed in. Roanoke had mysteriously
disappeared during a time in Early Jamestown. Some of the occupations, or jobs, were very
useless because there were not as many people working. There was one surgeon and no farmers
to grow food for the people. Living in this area also caused many disappearances and escapes.
What more will come living in Early Jamestown? One of the problems leading to death would be
starvation. According to Dennis B. Blanton, "the great abundance of natural food was not situated
at a point." "Fish are present in local streams, but only in the spring and early summer." The fish
weren't present during winter or fall which made the colonists starve. Some diseases also spread
due to a lack of food. The island was not situated at a point of natural food abundance. ( Dennis B.
Blanton 55) This didn't help with food because many did not know how to farm so they couldn't
grow the food. In Jamestown starvation was a big issue to so many colonists....show more content...
These reasons lead to death in Jamestown. From diseases, to starvation, to droughts, and to the
lack of skill, many died. It was a rough time for those people who lived there. But who knew,
maybe living during that time could've helped the some who lived? Living in Jamestown was full
of uncertainty such as disappearances and escapes. To this day, learning about history is very
important. Many people may want to learn about the history of Early Jamestown. Some may also
want to know background facts as well. Learning different things in history and understanding what
goes on in the world is like learning a new game and understanding how to reach a new
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