The Jamestown Nightmare US History Lesson 3, Part 2 The Jamestown Nightmare Chapter 2, The American Pageant

Reasons to Leave England for the New World *With the defeat of Spain, England was no longer at threat and could more easily travel. *A new policy of enclosure by the wealthy of fencing in lands to prevent hunting made it difficult for the poor to supplement their diet. *Tradition of primogeniture = 1st born son inherits all the property leaving other sons with little money or land. * The joint-stock company was perfected (investors put money into the company with hopes for a good return), so there was enough money to fund a colony.

Jamestown *In 1606, the Virginia Company received a charter from King James I to make a settlement in the New World. *The charter of the Virginia Company guaranteed settlers the same rights as Englishmen in Britain. *On May 24, 1607, about 100 English settlers disembarked from their ship and founded Jamestown.

Problems for Jamestown *40 people died on the voyage leaving 60 *People did not want to work *Water was bad and people got sick *Sickness, starvation, and even cannibalism soon occurred *Supply ship crashed off Bahamas in 1609

More Leaders…More Problems *Captain John Smith used the “no work, no eat” policy *Also traded with Indians for food *Assassination attempt sent Smith home to England *Lord De La Warr arrived to get the colony back on track, but he caused even more problems…

Anglo-Powhatan War *The Powhatan wanted Jamestown residents to make their settlement at a different location *Captain John Smith though kept extending their settlement by building more forts *Eventually, starving Jamestown residents stole food from the Powhatan and the Indians raided the village

Anglo-Powhatan War *These events eventually led to the first war *It ended with a peace sealed by the marriage of Pocahontas to John Rolfe *The Second War occurred when a raiding Indian party attacked the settlement killing 1/3 of the people.

Anglo-Powhatan War *The English attacked nearly every day during the summer and periodically thereafter for 3 years, destroying corn fields as well as property. *The Indians continued to attack and 8 years later 347 settlers had been killed, including John Rolfe. *Eventually the English caught the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy and shot him in the back. *The Powhatan ceded much of their land in the area to the English between the Blackwater and York rivers.

Jamestown Succeeds *John Rolfe mixed two strains of tobacco together to form a mild tobacco that people could not get enough of (I think we call that addiction). *A House of Burgesses was created to deal with local problems and to rule the people. *The first African-Americans to arrive in America also came in 1619 to farm the land.