Jamestown 1607 Jamestown The Basics Name Jamestown named

Jamestown 1607

Jamestown: The Basics • Name: Jamestown (named after King James I) • Year: 1607 • Location: Virginia, along the James River and a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay • Original Charter: Given to the Virginia Company by King James I to establish territory along the coast of North America • Government: Self-government (House of Burgesses) **first form of representative government in the colonies • What makes it special? First permanent English settlement in North America (ultimately failed) Click here for: The New World Movie Trailer

Jamestown: The Basics • Successful Exports: tobacco • Famous Settlers and Historical Figures: Sir Walter Raleigh, John Rolfe, Pocahontas and John Smith • Worries: Possible invasion by Spanish and attack by Native tribes, mosquitos, malaria, starvation

Climate • The climate of Jamestown was far from what English settlers were used to • The summers were filled with tropical humidity breeding mosquitoes and flies • The winters were bitter cold making it not suitable for growing • 1607 -1608 the settlers were faced with a cruel winter historians call “The Little Ice Age” • The settlers faced harsh winters but also the worst drought that had occurred in 800 years which lasted from 1606 -1612 • This caused low quality drinking water and difficult growing seasons • Definitely not enough fresh water caused some salt poisoning

Physical Geography of Jamestown Swamp-like Marshes Located at sea-level Along an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay they named the James River, natural harbor, along the coast • Forests: made it good for building forts and other structures • Not directly in the mountains, but not far away and not completely flat either • • Harbor – place along a coast where ships can find shelter and protection from rougher bodies of water

JAMESTOWN COLONY GEOGRAPHY

Human Geography of Jamestown • Most settlers were business-type people (“ill-suited”) • Lack of farmers • No one had much, if any, experience in a “wild” environment • White Europeans, many with some kind of title or status • They were much more arrogant than they needed to be • They were not there to cooperate with Natives long-term • Pocahontas, of the Powhatan tribe established relations with the settlers • The Powhatan’s showed them techniques like planting corn and other things for survival

Jamestown Tobacco • Jamestown tobacco of the 1600 s is like Marijuana today • It was either highly discouraged or illegal

Get-Rich Quick • There was little “spirit to work” in Jamestown • Flyers in England promoting the New World spoke of gold and silver so plentiful that you could fill baskets Carl Bridenbough in Jamestown 1544 -1699 wrote: ". . . the Englishmen who first went to the colony were an unskilled, improvident, and lazy lot who, 'no more sensible than beasts, would rather starve in idleness . . . than feast in labor. ' Like the grasshoppers in Aesop's fable, they took little if any thought for the future, and as a result, many of them perished, not only during the 'starving time' but also for years to come because of their failure to plant crops. "

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY CONSTRUCTION PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY CLIMATE More harsh, cold winters TERRAIN At sea-level, along the coastline of the James River which is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay Mountains are more inland Swampy, marsh conditions right around the coast, malaria and mosquitos Located on a natural harbor along the James River *Harbor – home or shelter to ships on the water, keeps them safe from strong waves and weather JAMESTOWN 1607 Moist and tropical during the summer Built a triangular fort with towers at each corner as a lookout. They used native trees and such to fortify them but it was inadequate to help them with the natural conditions. Fire set in on their first fort. It surrounded a planned town to include church, store house, living quarters, etc. FOOD There was very limited stores of food and many starved as a result of the inability or knowledge to farm. The natural elements were devastating to what food supply they had

Jamestown vs. Plymouth PLYMOUTH COLONY 1620 MASSACHUSSETS Mayflower was blown farther North so the weather was colder Plymouth is located in New England area which is present day Massachusetts Colonists came to seek wealth Only 38 colonists remained after January 1608 JAMESTOWN COLONY 1607 VIRGINIA Jamestown located in present day Virginia (considered the South) Traded with natives Natives made the first moves to become Colonists did not get along with friends with the Pilgrims Natives Both made treaties with Natives People died the first winter Pilgrims arrived in 1620 Pilgrims looking for religious freedom A Native American named Squanto Interpreted between Pilgrims and Native Americans Traded furs and lumber and sent them back to England for profit Harsh first winter Natives taught the how to plant corn Built their own homes Their children were First Generation Americans because they were born in the New World Arrived on the Mayflower Everyone had to work to live and survive Established the Mayflower Compact which helped establish self-government and majority rule Natives taught settlers how to hunt Pilgrims and Natives signed a peace treaty Origins of first Thanksgiving Day House of Burgesses was the first representative form of government Colonists grew tobacco for money (Cash Crop) Named after King James I of England Located near the Chesapeake Bay Swampy land, mosquitos, malaria “If you don’t work, you don’t eat!” John Rolfe married Pocahontas, daughter of Chief of Native American tribe Ultimately failed colonial effort

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY CONSTRUCTION PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY CLIMATE JAMESTOWN 1607 TERRAIN FOOD