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The History of Jamestown, Virginia began in June of 1606 When King James I granted a group of London Businessmen from the Virginia Company, the first charter of Virginia to establish an English settlement in North America.^[1]

Contents 1 The trip to North America 2 The settlement 2.1 The natives 2.2 Hard Times 3 Sources 4 References

[edit] The trip to North America

On 12 December 1606^[2], a total of 108 explorers set sail from London to settle Virginia with instructions to find Gold and a water route to the Orient under the leadership of Captain John Smith.^[3]At the time, the name Virginia was used in reference to all parts of North America claimed by the British^[1]. After 5 months at sea, on 14 May 1607, the group of settlers landed on Jamestown Island, on the banks of the James River^[3]

[edit] The settlement

[edit] The natives

Shortly after landing, the settlers moved inland, away from the channel which would have been vulnerable to direct fire from hostile Spanish Ships^[3]. As they worked into the night building the fort, several natives approached the fort causing the settlers to sound an alarm. The alarm frightened the natives temporarily scaring them off.^[4] Several days later two natives identified as messengers from the Werowance of Paspihae came with a message of peace and the offer to merry with us over a fat deer^[4]. The Werowance returned days later with 100 natives armed with bows & arrows. The Werowance made great attempts at getting the settlers to put there weapons down however the settlers had little trust of the unknown natives. After the settlers refused to put their weapons away, tensions rose in the camp and eventually the Werowance stormed angrily from the camp.^[4]

[edit] Hard Times

By the end of August, 1607, 23^[5] of the original crew had died from diseases, fighting with the Native Americans and starvation.

Our men were destroyed with cruell diseases as Swellings, Flixes, Burning Fevers, and by warres, and some departed suddenly, but for the most part they died of mere famine^[6].

—George Percy, George Percy

[edit] Sources

• Eliot, Charles William [1910]. American Historical Documents 1000-1904. P.F. Collier & Son, 491. Retrieved on 2006-11-17. 
• [1907] in Hart, Albert Bushnell and Channing, Edward: The Founding of Jamestown. P. P. Simmons, 27. Retrieved on 2006-11-17. 

[edit] References

History of Jamestown. Retrieved on 2006-11-17.

Eliot, Charles William [1910]. American Historical Documents 1000-1904. P.F. Collier & Son, 491. Retrieved on 2006-11-17.