Death, illness, and rebellion: these are a few of the effects that came about during the early years of settlement at Jamestown. It began in the year 1607. Many Englishmen were looking for a fresh start, others wanted to escape the evils of English government.1 This was the founding of the colony of Jamestown, a village created by a variety of people. With over one hundred people to begin with, the people quickly created a system. John Smith, one of the first English settlers in 1608, stood up and took the responsibility of leading the colonists in the new world.
The colonists arrived on land, destined to begin a life of freedom. This land had no government or laws to begin with. This created a standard that was set in the town. Either you were a farmer in the land, or a gold digger. Controversy struck because those who were gold diggers had a far smaller food supply than the farmers. As a result, many people died of starvation; the ones who had a sufficient food supply, prospered. The colony of Jamestown was one filled with diversity; not only did the people that inhabited it possess individualistic traits, but also their ambitions were far and wide.
Farming resources were few, due the amount of farmers per person in the village being vastly different. Each day brought new death counts; most days, this number ranged from ten to twenty per day.2 This not only scared the colonists who were present in Jamestown, but also destroyed the newcomers’ dreams. Though these deaths were early in the process in the creation of Jamestown, it was certain that the colony was struggling at the beginning. By leaving a country full of resources, wealth, and culture for a doomed colony, it became clear that this was a suicide mission. This mentality did not last long though. As farmers began to branch out and find new crops and faster ways to farm, the society of Jamestown began to become more enriched and luring for people looking to find a new start on the east coast of America.
Suddenly, a door opened and the proclaimed leader of the colonists, John Smith, began to create a system that would bring life back to Jamestown. The colonists found a new resource that would be demanded heavily back in England: tobacco.3 Tobacco had been introduced into the European world by Columbus, and it had since taken off. But instead of creating a system that aided Jamestown as a whole, many people took up their own practice in growing it and set the town apart from others.4 This was good for Jamestown, with a steady income from tobacco, food, and money with trade, the colony of Jamestown was the first English settlement to survive in the New World. This colony would change the views of many Europeans and Englishmen looking to find a new life, and if you were going to move anywhere it might possibly be to Jamestown.
- Alvin Rabushka, “Constitutional Government and Politics in England, 1607–1688,” in Taxation in Colonial America (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008), 71. ↵
- Virginia Bernhard, “Men, Women and Children at Jamestown: Population and Gender in Early Virginia, 1607-1610,” The Journal of Southern History 58, no. 4 (1992): 603. ↵
- Natalie Zacek, “Kupperman, The Jamestown Project; and Kelso, Jamestown: The Burried Truth,” The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, 64, no. 3 (2007): 656. ↵
- Virginia Bernhard, “Men, Women and Children at Jamestown: Population and Gender in Early Virginia, 1607-1610,” The Journal of Southern History 58, no. 4 (1992): 604. ↵
36 comments
Luke Lopez
This was a very interesting article about the establishment of Jamestown. The English that migrated to Jamestown wanted a change of scenery, because they either wanted to live in a place that was newly discovered, or they did not want to abide by British law anymore. Early on the colonists that settled in this region experienced sickness and death due to the new environment that they were living in.
Katherine Watson
Jamestown is thought of as to be the foundation of modern-day civilization for the Americas, but I honestly don’t consider it our starting point. I believe that although John Smith and the colonizers made a significant impact on the future, they were not our foundation. Our foundation begins with the Native American tribes that already had they ground set prior to the colonizers hopping off their boat and claiming land that was not theirs. Their interactions intertwining resulted in the loss of so much right culture between the tribes, but we would not be here today to discuss these matters. You win some; you lose some. I just personally think we lost so much in this transition.
Luis Magana
Its interesting how this was basically a suicide mission and it turned out to be something positive, with the settlement and discovery of the Americas. Even if Jamestown though Jamestown didnt produce enough crops and could only produce tobacco successfully which was demanded back in England. Then they began to have a steady income. The article was beautifully written and very interesting.
Robert Freise
The birth of Jamestown was very important to the settlers and it created a basis for what the United States is today. Without the settlement and discovery of the Americas, we as a country would not exist. Many of the settlers wanted to colonize and create homesteads for their families and generations to come. The sign of commerce was first introduced to North America, and the trade with the Natives was very influencial for sprouting ideas on how things in this new settlement were created.
Marlene Lozano
I learned about the city of Jamestown when I was in high school. This article gives great detail about the background of how Jamestown came to be. I was surprised to find out that gold diggers had a smaller food supply than farmers, which caused a lot of starvation within the town. Overall this is a good article and I am amazed at how well it is put together.
Michael Thomas
I found this article interesting because of how it details the history of Jamestown. I have heard about the founding of Jamestown before in history classes. Jamestown was not the best European settlement in the New World. The area the settlement was founded on did not produce enough crops. The only crops the settlement could successfully produce was tobacco. Overall, this article was good and informative.
Robert Rodriguez
This was one of the first colonies I was taught in middle school and since then it has fascinated me, considering that these people gave up everything for a dream in an unknown land, just like many of our ancestors did. Little did these first newcomers know that they were the start of the melting pot we now call America. its crazy to think that something so bad, Tobacco, basically saved this civilization from collapsing and helped it thrive.
Hector Garcia
Jamestown was one of the early colonies to be established in the 17th century. I can’t even imagine what these people had to endure in order to survive in this wild and dangerous place. But, its incredible to read of how a plant, such as tobacco was able to help the settlers achieve their dreams of living in the Americas. I really enjoyed this article because it showed how the settlement of Jamestown survived the New World.
Samuel Ruiz
I remember sitting in class in 8th grade, learning about the early stages of US development and it always fascinated me how these people would go through so much just to get away from their problems back home. I applaud James Smith for turning the mood of Jamestown around for the better of the society. It is sad that many people died early on due to a lack of food, but it is enlightening to know that by branching out, they discovered tobacco which would forever change their living quality.
Troy Leonard
this was a great article that you have written. when I was in middle school I remember going over very briefly and not to much in depth on how Jamestown was developing. even though tobacco is unhealthy i always thought it was really interesting how tobacco is what started them off and today its something that is looked down on witch even I think that is something we shouldn’t have in our world.