Jamestown: England s First Permanent Settlement in the New World

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1 Name Date Period Jamestown: England s First Permanent Settlement in the New World England had watched with envy for years as Spain gained riches from its American colonies. The defeat of the Spanish in the late 1500 s marked the beginning of the decline of Spanish power and the rise of the English. The way was now clear for the English to colonize North America, without Spanish interference. England s first attempt at establishing a colony (an area under the control of another country) in North America was at Roanoke, North Carolina. That colony failed and nearly 20 years passed before England again tried to establish a colony in North America. In 1606, the Virginia Company of London received a charter from King James I. A charter is a legal document giving certain rights to a person or company. In the spring of 1607, after crossing the Atlantic from England, a group of 105 colonists arrived in Virginia. They sailed into Chesapeake Bay and began building homes along the James River. They named their tiny settlement Jamestown after the English king, James I. Directions: We will watch a series of video clips. While watching each clip, take notes about what you see in the clip. Then complete the writing activity that follows. Notes for Video Clip #1: Arrival in the New World After viewing video clip #1, imagine you are one of the following people: a Native American on the shore viewing the English ships arriving in the harbor OR one of the English sailors arriving in the New World. Write a diary entry describing your experience.

2 Notes for Video Clip #2: Life in Jamestown After viewing video clip #2, imagine you are one of the colonists to land at Jamestown in Write a diary entry describing your experiences of the journey and your arrival in Virginia. Notes for Video Clip # 3: The Value of Tobacco After viewing video clip #3, explain why the Jamestown settlers chose to use slave labor on their tobacco plantations Government at Jamestown: The Jamestown colonists were annoyed by the strict rule of the Virginia governor. Harsh laws imposed the death penalty even for small offenses, like stealing an ear of corn. The House of Burgesses was created in 1619 to give the Jamestown colonists a say in the laws that were created for the colony. The House of Burgesses is the first representative government established in the English colonies. What is the advantage to having a representative government?

3 Native Americans and English settlers at Jamestown (Image from Disney s Pocahontas) Who was Pocahontas? When the English arrived and settled Jamestown in May 1607, Pocahontas was about eleven years old. Pocahontas and her father would not meet any Englishmen until the winter of 1607, when Captain John Smith was captured by Powhatan's brother. He was brought in front of Chief Powhatan, two large stones were placed on the ground, Smith's head was forced upon them, and a warrior raised a club to smash in his brains. Before this could happen, Pocahontas rushed in and placed her head upon his, which stopped the execution. Whether this event actually happened or not has been debated for centuries. Either way, Smith was released and returned to Jamestown. Over the next two years, relations between the English and the Powhatan deteriorated, partly because a severe drought had drastically reduced the tribes' harvests. Pocahontas would eventually meet John Rolfe, who would become famous for introducing the cash crop tobacco to the settlers in Virginia. By all English accounts, the two fell in love and in April 1614, she and Rolfe married. In March 1617, the Rolfe family was ready to return to Virginia. After traveling down the Thames River, Pocahontas, seriously ill, had to be taken ashore. Pocahontas died (she was probably about twenty-one years old) and was buried at St. George's Church on March 21, Within a year, Powhatan died. The "Peace of Pocahontas" began to slowly unravel. Life for her people would never be the same. (Pocahontas as Rebecca Rolfe, 1616) How does the story above differ from your prior knowledge of Pocahontas?

4 Use the chart to answer the questions below: 1. What is the difference in population from October 1608 to Summer 1609? 2. What is the reason for this change? 3. What is the difference in population from August 1609 to May 1610? 4. What is the reason for this change? 5. What conclusion can you make about the Jamestown colony based on the information provided in this chart? Conclusion: What is your overall assessment of the first English settlement at Jamestown? Would you consider it a success or failure? How did geography affect the experiences of the Jamestown settlers?

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