Social Studies Alive Early English Settlements Jamestown Colony Social Studies Alive Early English Settlements

The Beginning King James sent a group of men to North America in 1606 to start a colony. In May of 1607, the men finally arrived in Virginia, hoping to find gold.

The Set Up They settled near a river where they could anchor their ships close by. It was upriver from the Chesapeake Bay. It was located on a peninsula so that it could be easily defended. They built a wall around their fort and called it Jamestown.

Problems Jamestown was built on a marsh which made the land bad for farming and made the area filled with mosquitoes that carried disease. Many men refused to work because they wanted to look for gold instead. These problems began to kill many of the settlers. Captain John Smith said “He that will not work, shall not eat.” Jamestown settlers never found gold, so they needed another way to support themselves.

Solutions Many of the leaders died, so the colonists chose John Smith to be their leader. Under Smith’s leadership, the colonists built houses and dug wells for fresh water. They planted crops and fished in the river. Smith began trading corn with Chief Powhatan, which helped to keep the colonists alive. John Rolfe learned how to grow tobacco and it became a cash crop. They traded their tobacco for money and supplies.

Jamestown Continues John Rolfe married Pocahontas, Chief Powhatan’s daughter, which kept the American Indians and the colonists at peace. The colonists created the first representative government called the House of Burgesses. However, only wealthy men could have this job. Before the king ruled everything. Now the people of Jamestown could speak for themselves. Jamestown survived to become the first successful English settlement in North America.