1. Jamestown Long Ago

2. Powhatan and the English Meet The Powhatan and the English met in 1607. That was the year the English first arrived at Jamestown. It was difficult for the English and the Powhatan to build their own communities in peace.

3. The English at Jamestown John Smith was one of the Englishmen sent to start a new colony in Jamestown. The English hoped that the colony would provide resources and riches like gold for people back in England. A colony is a place that is ruled by another country.

4. The people sent to Jamestown were called colonists. They wanted to not only build a community but also hoped to get rich from Jamestown’s resources too.

5. Not long after the colonists arrived in Jamestown, they found that life was very hard. They had trouble growing food because they had no experience in farming.

6. John Smith The colonists needed a strong leader. They decided that John Smith was the man for the job. Smith made the decision to ask the Powhatan for help. The colonists learned how to grow corn and other food from the Powhatan.

7. Even with the help of Powhatan and his people, the colonists struggled. During the winter of 1607, the colonists had little food. Many died of diseases.

8. The colonists’ dreams of finding gold never came true. But in 1612 some changes turned the colony around. A colonist named John Rolfe began growing a new kind of tobacco and sending it back to England. The tobacco was sold for a lot of money. It helped make the colony and England richer.

9. Until this time the English sometimes fought with the Powhatan. In 1614 John Rolfe married Pocahontas. She was the daughter of Powhatan. Their marriage led to a long time of peace between the Powhatan and the English.

10. By 1624 other English colonies were also growing along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Many people came to the colonies. Some came to build new lives. Some came to seek riches. Others were looking for religious freedom. Some who came had been forced into slavery. These people came from Africa.

11. Starting a community was hard for the colonists. But after years of struggle, the little community of Jamestown grew larger. It was joined by other colonies. Later these colonies- 13 in all – came together as a new country, the United States of America.