jamestown 5 paragraph essay

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10 Things You May Not Know About the Jamestown Colony

By: Crystal Ponti

Updated: September 12, 2023 | Original: August 6, 2019

Jamestown

In May of 1607, a hearty group of Englishmen arrived on the muddy shores of modern-day Virginia under orders from King James I to establish an English colony. But despite their efforts, the Jamestown Colony  was immediately plagued by disease, famine, and violent encounters with the native population. â€œThere were never Englishmen left in a foreign country in such misery as we were in this new discovered Virginia,” one colonist recalled .

Although more than a third of the colonists perished in the harsh conditions, the group eventually overcame their disastrous start and founded the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Here are some of the lesser-known facts about the Jamestown Colony. 

1. The original settlers were all men.

Settlers of Jamestown

In December of 1606, the Virginia Company, under charter from King James I, sent an expedition to establish an English settlement in North America. When their ships, the Susan Constant , Godspeed and Discovery , arrived near the banks of the James River on May 14, 1607, 104 men and boys set foot on what would soon become Jamestown . The initial group contained well-to-do adventurers, a handful of artisans and craftsmen, and laborers eager to forge a new home. Notably absent were members of the opposite sex. It would be another nine long months before any women arrived at the fledgling colony. 

2. Drinking water likely played a role in the early decimation of the settlement.

While the terrain might have appeared ideal from the deck of a ship—unoccupied and ripe with natural resources—the Virginia Company established its settlement on a swath of swampy land with no source of fresh water. Soon after, the men began to perish. Only 38 of the 104 original settlers were still alive by January 1608. 

As documented in colonial records, many died from disease and famine. Others met their fate in skirmishes with the Powhatans and their tribal allies. Experts also believe that some may have succumbed to an invisible threat: toxic water . Modern-day samples taken from some of the wells used by Jamestown colonists have revealed high levels of salt and varying degrees of arsenic and fecal contamination—a foul, and potentially lethal, cocktail.

3. Bodies were buried in unmarked graves to conceal the colony’s decline in manpower.

Before more colonists arrived from England, the population of Jamestown dwindled. The Virginia Company had predicted that disease would manifest, and lives would be lost. Concerned about prying eyes and an ambush on a weakened colony, they had stressed "above all things" that the colonists hide the sick and bury the dead in unmarked graves. The men followed orders, burying their deceased out of sight behind the fort wall. When the death toll spiked between May and September of 1607, they also made use of double burials with two men laid to rest in the same shaft.

4. The settlers resorted to cannibalism during the 'starving time.'

Between January 1608 and August 1609, 470 new settlers arrived at Jamestown. Although their circumstances looked promising, the tide soon turned against them. Captain John Smith , who had negotiated favorable relations with the Powhatans and whose leadership bolstered the strength of the settlement, suffered gunpowder injuries and had to return to England in the fall of 1609. Smith’s ship had barely vanished from the horizon, when Chief Powhatan called for a siege of Jamestown.

Surrounded by Powhatan’s warriors and trapped inside the fort, the settlers eventually ran out of food and were forced to eat whatever they could find: horses, dogs, rats, snakes, leather shoes and, according to forensic evidence, even each other. Marked by survivalist cannibalism, Jamestown reached one of its lowest points during the winter of 1609-1610—a period now known as the “starving time,” in which at least one deceased colonist was consumed as food.

5. Mail-order brides helped populate (and save) Jamestown.

Jamestown Brides

Back in England, women had heard horror stories about the conditions at Jamestown. They were not exactly jumping at the opportunity to join the men across the pond. This gender imbalance boded ill for the colony’s future, as men left in droves to seek out wives. Edwin Sandys, the Virginia Company treasurer, convinced his fellow board members that they advertise for women to immigrate to Jamestown and marry the colonists. The Virginia Company offered attractive incentives for would-be wives: free transportation, a plot of land, a dowry of clothing and furnishings. They also allowed the women to choose their husbands after entertaining the eager suitors. The tactic had some success, and, the women, in theory, became America’s first mail-order brides.

6. Climate change threatened the survival of Jamestown.

Jamestown

Before their arrival, European explorers assumed America's climate would match that of other lands situated at the same latitude. They soon discovered that the New World was both hotter and colder than they expected. To make matters worse, the already harsh and unpredictable environment was exacerbated by climate change, namely a “ Little Ice Age ” that lasted from 1550 to 1800. Wet springs led to flooding, hot summers brought on droughts, and frigid winters covered the landscape in blankets of thick frost.

The colonists arrived in Jamestown during one of the driest seven-year periods (1606-1612) in 770 years. The 17th century was also one of the coldest on record. The dramatic weather patterns in the Virginia colony brought on a cycle of conflict, scarcity and death, with climate change threatening its survival.

7. The birth of American democracy began in Jamestown.

House of Burgesses in Jamestown

By the time the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the first peaceful transfer of U.S. presidential power occurred between George Washington and John Adams in 1797, Americans had already experienced over 150 years of democracy. The roots can be traced to Jamestown. With the establishment of the House of Burgesses, America's first democratically elected legislative body, a precedent had been set. Thereafter, each new English colony sought its own legislature. Although there were challenges and power struggles, the concept of elections, creation of laws and power through and by the people, began in America's first English settlement.

8. Smuggled tobacco seeds gave Jamestown economic viability.

Tobacco in Jamestown

King James I had a strong, and well-known, distaste for tobacco. “A custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose,” he once declared. It’s ironic that this very crop gave Jamestown its economic viability. The settlement had struggled to find a marketable commodity that it could trade and ship back to England for profit. The colonists dabbled in forestry, silk making and glassmaking, with little financial return.

Then, in 1610, John Rolfe arrived in Jamestown with a convoy of 150 new settlers. He brought with him a sweet, and quite possibly illegal, strain of South American tobacco seeds. After some initial trial and error, Rolfe cultivated them into a major cash crop—one surprisingly granted a monopoly from King James I—making Jamestown economically stable for the first time.

No one knows where or how Rolfe obtained the seeds. Until then, Spain had controlled tobacco on the European markets and selling seeds to non-Spaniards was a crime punishable by death. Rolfe may have smuggled the seeds from Bermuda, where some of the fleet was shipwrecked for 10 months before arriving in Jamestown, or somewhere in the Caribbean. Either way, the risk paid off.

9. English pirates brought the first African captives to Jamestown.

Slavery in Jamestown

John Rolfe documented the arrival of the first African captives to Jamestown in late August 1619. He reported that a Dutch ship had arrived with “20 and odd” Africans who were “bought for victuals.” August 1619 is the date that the first enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia, but they didn’t arrive on a Dutch ship as Rolfe mentioned. They were originally captured in modern-day Angola, an area of West Central Africa, and forced to march over 100 miles to board the San Juan Bautista , a Portuguese ship destined for Mexico.

While in the Gulf of Mexico, two English privateers, the White Lion and the Treasurer , attacked the ship and stole 50 to 60 African captives on board. This act of piracy, politely called “privateering” in the 17th century, led to the White Lion bringing the first Africans to Jamestown. Historians believe that Rolfe either falsified his report to conceal what the English had done or that the White Lion swapped flags with a Dutch ship while out at sea, causing Rolfe to incorrectly record the ship’s country of origin.

10. To this day, Jamestown remains an active dig site.

jamestown 5 paragraph essay

Active archaeological excavation, research and analysis have been ongoing since 1994 at the original site of Jamestown. Archaeologists have found parts of the palisade of the original 1607 fort, discovered the site of the second church and unearthed the remains of a handful of the settlement’s early inhabitants. They’ve debunked the myth that the original Jamestown site had washed into the James River long ago, uncovered evidence of the “starving time” and cannibalism and learned more about the settlers’ daily lives and work habits. To date, millions of artifacts have been uncovered and the facts about this defining chapter in American history have been rewritten or brought to light.

jamestown 5 paragraph essay

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History and Legacy of The Settlement of Jamestown

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Published: Sep 1, 2020

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jamestown 5 paragraph essay

Jamestown - Introduction

Jamestown Massacre

Say "Jamestown 1607," and the phrase "first permanent English settlement in the New World" no doubt jumps immediately to mind. Jamestown is a magic place in our imaginations, one of our most important founding sites. But foundings do not occur by magic. They are relentlessly gritty. And, in reality, Jamestown very nearly didn't survive the first two years.

Seeking in 1609 to save the colony through a second charter and expanded public involvement, the Virginia Company – beset with questions about not only the utility but morality of plantations – "initiated a promotional campaign that for its sheer volume was unequalled in previous colonial enterprises" (Fitzmaurice 63-64). That promotional campaign in 1609-1610, delivered mainly through sermons and asserting at its most ideal that conversion of the Indians rather than financial gain was the primary goal, provides the cluster of justification documents we attend to here.

The "massacre" of 1622 that resulted in the deaths of one-quarter of the colonists – fostering extirpation rather than education of the Indians – provides a second cluster ripe for further study. The clash of these justifying modes framing Jamestown's first cultural moment (the Virginia Company would lose its charter in 1625) makes instructive reading.

This Jamestown section of our Literature of Justification project – drawing on The American Indian in Western Legal Thought: The Discourses of Conquest by Robert A. Williams – was initiated by Mehnaz Ara Choudhury in spring 2004. Second generation work was performed in spring 2006 by Mehnaz Ara Choudhury, Edward J. Gallagher, Christina M. Hoffmann, Kate Lehnes, Karen B. Manahan, Elizabeth Vogtsberger, and Elizabeth Wiggins.

We envision our Literature of Justification project extending beyond students and faculty at Lehigh University, and we welcome suggestions, corrections, questions, and, especially, appropriate contributions of all types from bibliographical entries through full essays.

Contact Professor Edward J. Gallagher, Department of English, Lehigh University via e-mail at [email protected] .

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jamestown 5 paragraph essay

If you’re looking for ideas on how to teach about Jamestown , you’re in the right place!

Jamestown is a story that fascinates adults and children alike.

17th Century Jamestown was a place of adventure, misery, and later… success !

Each year, I look forward to teaching my students all about this turbulent young settlement.

Teaching About Jamestown - The Powhatan People

Teaching About the Powhatan People

You can’t dive right into teaching about the Jamestown settlers’ struggles and successes without first discussing the Native Americans that occupied the land for thousands of years before the Jamestown settlers arrived.

There were approximately 14,000 Powhatan People living in and around Virginia when the first group of Jamestown settlers rowed ashore.

The Powhatan were divided into around 30 tribal groups and all pledged loyalty to one leader, who the English called Chief Powhatan. (Pow-uh-tan)

This teacher-produced video is an excellent way to show students around a Powhatan village: Powhatan Village

Powhatan Culture

The Powhatan culture was markedly different from English culture.

Women built homes, processed meat, farmed, gathered plants, cooked, and performed many other duties.

Men hunted, built canoes, fished, and fought, when necessary.

The Powhatan worshipped multiple gods and spirits, a practice foreign to Jamestown settlers.

What About Pocahontas?

Students always ask about Pocahontas.

She was one of the many children of Chief Powhatan and there are many untruths out there about her.

First, she was married to John Rolfe, Virginia tobacco planter, not John Smith.

Second, she was a young girl when the Jamestown settlers arrived in Virginia.

I do enjoy showing clips of the Disney version of Pocahontas after we’ve finished our Jamestown unit.

My students looooove to point out the inaccuracies in the movie! If we have time, I ask students to write a paragraph or two comparing the Disney movie with the truth about Jamestown.

Grab my free Jamestown Anticipation Guide here!

Teaching About the Founding of Jamestown

Teaching About the Founding of Jamestown

Once students have a clear understanding of Powhatan culture, we dive into our study of the settlers who came to Jamestown.

Jamestown was sponsored by the Virginia Company, a group of wealthy investors who planned to profit from the natural resources to be gained from a colony in the New World.

There were no women or girls in the first passage to Jamestown. The Virginia Company did not want to send women to Jamestown until the colony was somewhat established. Women began to travel to Jamestown starting in 1608.

💍 Teach your students about Jamestown’s Mail-Order Brides with a video lesson, printables, and primary sources. 💍

King James I of England (Jamestown’s namesake) provided the charter for the new colony because he wanted to expand England’s power.

Additionally, King James I and the Virginia Company established Jamestown with the future hope of finding a Northwest Passage and converting Native Americans to Christianity.

Why was Jamestown founded?

Many colonial settlements were founded for religious reasons, but Jamestown definitely wasn’t. The mission of Jamestown was to make money for the Virginia Company.

The men who came to Jamestown in the first voyage were interested in riches and adventure.

Please visit this primary source listing of the men and boys who first settled Jamestown:

The First Residents of Jamestown, National Park Service

In my classroom, I give one print out of this page to each cooperative group of students. I ask students to highlight and count the number of each type of individual listed on the registry. For example, how many carpenters, laborers, gentlemen, mariners/sailors, and etc?

Students will find that there were significantly more gentlemen (fancy rich men) than laborers. Ask them to discuss what this means.

I pose this question:

What type of settlement would likely contain a large number of gentlemen and few actual workers?

The truth is that the Virginia Company did not practice good judgement when they decided who to send to Jamestown on the first voyage.

The gentlemen wanted to go because they’d heard rumors that there were pieces of gold lying all over the ground for the taking. Who could pass that up?

The problem with the gentlemen was that they didn’t believe in manual labor, like planting crops, building homes, and establishing a settlement. The unfortunate attitude of the gentlemen caused major problems for the Jamestown settlement.

At this point, I start an amazing read-aloud book,  Blood on the River: James Town, 1607  by Elisa Carbone.

* Please note that Thrive in Grade Five (Jenifer Bazzit)  is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. *

jamestown 5 paragraph essay

Teaching About Life in Jamestown

As you can imagine, life in 17th Century Jamestown was difficult.

The Jamestown settlers were fully aware that their main purpose for being in the New World was to secure natural resources to send back to England in order to repay the investors of the Virginia Company.

This led to a lot of sawing trees, splitting boards, and very little time building shelter and planting crops.

The Jamestown settlers were able to survive during the first two years because they traded for food with the Powhatan People.

Unfortunately for the Jamestown settlers, their relationship with the Powhatan soured, as you will soon learn.

This 3 minute video clip provides a quick overview of life in Jamestown: Life in Jamestown

Teaching About Jamestown and John Smith

How John Smith’s Leadership Helped Jamestown

Despite some major drama on the ship ride over, John Smith became a great asset to the Jamestown colony.

John Smith was a skilled negotiator and was able to secure food from the Powhatan People to help the struggling colony.

He established and nurtured a relationship with Chief Powhatan, ensuring that the colonists were able to trade (and coexist) with their Native American neighbors.

In 1608, the young colony was definitely struggling. When Smith became president of the colony’s council, he instituted new policies to uphold his rule,  He that will not work shall not eat.

Smith ordered an expansion of the fort, the repair of buildings, a new well, and insisted that colonists create and tend farms.

It is probable that Smith made some enemies among the other colonists due to his strong leadership. He was badly injured in a gunpowder incident, either accidentally or intentionally, and returned to England in 1609 for treatment.

Without John Smith’s leadership, the relationship between the colonists and the Powhatan deteriorated. This poor relationship led, in part, to the terrible winter of the Starving Time.

Teaching About Jamestown's Starving Time

Teaching About Jamestown’s Starving Time

Honestly, teaching about the Starving Time makes me a little queasy. The thought of eating leather, horses, and rats does not sit well with me.

Nonetheless, it’s important to teach this terrible period experienced by England’s first permanent colony.

Many people think the Starving Time was caused solely by the harsh winter of 1609-1610.

There were actually multiple factors that combined to create a hopeless winter for the Jamestown settlers during which most of the settlers perished.

Teaching About Jamestown's Starving Time Causes

The settlers’ relationship with the Powhatan People had suffered greatly due to the refusal of Jamestown settlers to stay off Powhatan land AND because colonists were caught stealing food from Powhatan storehouses.

Some historians believe that the Powhatan surrounding Jamestown and watching closely for any colonists to leave indicates that they were trying to starve the people inside and bring about the end of Jamestown.

The Powhatan plan was nearly successful. The men and women left inside the fort resorted to eating things we would never dream of consuming, like snakes, rats, boiled leather, and even human flesh.

When discussing the icky foods that colonists ate to survive during the Starving Time, students usually say, “Ewwww, I would NEVER eat that in a million years!”

This leads to a great discussion about hunger, starvation, and the human will to survive. People who are really, truly starving to death will eat just about anything to survive.

George Percy’s Starving Time Quote

I use a quote from George Percy’s journal with my students. George Percy was a gentleman in Jamestown and briefly served as leader. Thanks to his detailed journals, we know a great deal about what happened at Jamestown.

Now all of us at James Town, beginning to feel that sharp prick of hunger, which no man [can] truly describe but he which hath tasted the bitterness thereof. A world of miseries ensued 
 [and] some, to satisfy their hunger, have robbed the store, for the which I caused them to be executed. Then having fed upon horses and other beasts as long as they lasted, we were glad to make shift with vermin, as dogs, cats, rats, and mice. All was fish that came to net to satisfy cruel hunger, as to eat boots, shoes, or any other leather some could come by. And those being spent and devoured, some were enforced to search the woods and to feed upon serpents and snakes and to dig the earth for wild and unknown roots, where many of our men were cut off and slain by the [Native Americans]. And now famine beginning to look ghastly and pale in every face that nothing was spared to maintain life and to do those things which seem incredible


We read through this text one line at a time. Students discuss the meaning of each line. This is an excellent primary source quote to use because it’s clear and understandable for students.

After discussing the Starving Time, I introduce students to Jane . Before Jane, some historians did not believe that the Jamestown colonists actually resorted to cannibalism. The discovery of Jane’s skull proves otherwise.

I show this USA Today article on my projection screen and we read it together: 

Jamestown Cannibalism Article

Additionally, I show students this short video so they can see the facial reconstruction process and the final rendition of Jane.

Jamestown Jane

The Starving Time ended in the Spring of 1610. Desperate settlers planned to sail back to England, but were stopped by a supply ship that arrived in time to help the settlement recover and rebuild.

Need a printable Jamestown Teacher’s Guide ? This free teacher’s guide provides background knowledge, pacing/sequence, and resource suggestions.

Teaching About Jamestown's Cash Crop, Tobacco

Teaching About Jamestown’s Cash Crop, Tobacco

Did you know that Jamestown later became a profitable settlement?

John Rolfe thought Virginia soil would be excellent for growing tobacco. He brought tobacco seeds from the Caribbean Islands because he wanted to mimic the mild, sweet tobacco that came from that part of the world.

Virginia tobacco was soon in high demand in England and made Jamestown a wealthy settlement!

The unfortunate truth is that tobacco used up the soil quickly, which led to an increased demand for land.

Also, tobacco requires monumental effort and labor to grow, so the demand for indentured servants and enslaved workers grew quickly.

Click here to view my blog post on Teaching 18th Century slavery. 

Jamestown Lessons, Activities, and Google Slides

If you’re interested in a complete, comprehensive Jamestown Unit, please click on the image to the left.

If you’d like to keep this post for later, simply save this image to your teacher pinterest board.

Teaching About Jamestown

16 Comments

even though summer has just started, yes, I am already thinking about next year – can’t wait to use the Jamestown “stuff” – I normally cover it in 1 day so I know I don’t do it justice. Can’t wait to use this next year!

thanks again

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, Diane! I have a short time to cover Jamestown too but I usually spend a week on it at the beginning of the school year and then I circle back toward the end of the year to do some of the fun activities as review.

Hi, I read your entire blog and all your resources. This is the most excited I have been about resources since I returned to teaching last December. I am moving from 3rd to 5th yay. However, I could not find a timeline for your units of study. Like you said, when I used to teach I was only one chapter ahead of my kids. These units have me so excited about teaching social studies.

Hi Christine! I am thrilled to hear that you’re excited about teaching 5th grade 🙂 I am going to do a blog post soon on how I teach 5th grade social studies but if you’d like a quick timeline before that, please email me at [email protected] and I’ll send it to you!

Thanks for all of this wonderful information! I am excited to start teaching fifth grade this fall. I would LOVE the social studies timeline, too.

Sure thing! I’ll email it to you in just a bit 🙂

I so wished I found your blog last year when I started teaching Virginia Studies!!! This post is great and I can’t wait to read more of your posts! So much information that I can’t wait to use in my classroom! I just started following your Instagram account too!

Thank you, Felicia! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!

I love this! Did you happen to post the social studies timeline in your blog? I just moved from middle school math and science to 5th grade this year and I am struggling with my timing in social studies.

Hi Amber! Thanks for reaching out to me. This post breaks down my year in social studies. There’s also a PDF guide that you can have sent to you for free at the end of the post! http://thriveingradefive.com/how-i-teach-5th-grade-social-studies/

Hi there! I just wanted to express my thanks for your hard work! I’m not a teacher, just a mom. I’m taking on homeschooling, and your effort and obvious love of history is incredibly valuable to me. Thank you so much! I’m having a great time wandering through your lessons 🙂

Thank you so much, Lindsey! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment 🙂 You may already know this but just in case, I have a free Homeschool Parent’s Guide to Teaching Social Studies that can be sent to you immediately. Here’s the link to grab it: https://pages.convertkit.com/467235e72a/28b5ff6862 Best of luck in your homeschool endeavors!

This is wonderful! I just returned from a trip with 16 of our 5th graders to Washington DC, Mt Vernon, Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown through EF tours. I’m planning for next year and looking for “suggested reading” specific to the early settlements. (I have a list for colonies and colonial life.) Wondering if you have anything besides Blood on the River on your radar, we do that as a read aloud (using audible – its awesome!) Thanks for your hard work and willingness to share!

What an amazing trip, Laura! That sounds amazing 🙂 I am keeping a note of your email address and I’ll send you new books as I find them.

When do you teach the Native American regions? Do you do this when you are discussing Jamestown?

Hi Rose! I teach the Native American Regions before Roanoke and Jamestown. This is because I teach my students about pre-Columbian cultures.

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jamestown 5 paragraph essay

The Virginia Company

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In June of 1606, King James granted a charter to a group of London entrepreneurs, the Virginia Company, to establish an English settlement in North America. By December, the settlers sailed from London instructed to settle Virginia, find gold and a water route to the Orient. The resumes of those pioneers could not have been more ill suited for the task. According to a list published by Captain John Smith, gentlemen made up about half of the group, suggesting that they knew nothing of or thought it their personal duty to tame a wilderness.

The rest were artisans, craftsmen, and laborers. 1On May 13, 1607, the Virginia Company explorers chose to settle on Jamestown Island, along the James River (60 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay). By one account, they landed there because of the deep water. This let their ships ride close to shore. 2Almost immediately the colonists were under attack from the Algonquian natives. As a result, in a little over a months’ time, the newcomers managed to build a wooden fort.

While disease, famine and continuing attacks of neighboring Algonquians took a tremendous toll on the population, the eventual structured leadership of Captain John Smith kept the colony from dissolving. Following Smith’s departure in 1609, a hard winter hit the new settlement. During that time only 60 (of the original 500) settlers survived. In June of that year the survivors decided to abandon the town.

3It was only the arrival of the new governor, Lord De La Ware, and his supply ships that brought the colonists back to the fort and the colony back on its feet. Then when Pocahontas, the favored daughter of the Algonquian chief Powhatan, married tobacco entrepreneur John Rolfe, some years of peace and prosperity followed. The first representative assembly in the New World convened in the Jamestown church on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly met in response to orders from the Virginia Company to establish a uniform government. The other crucial event that would play a role in the development of America was the arrival of Africans to Jamestown.

4A Dutch slave trader exchanged his cargo of Africans for food in 1619. The Africans became indentured servants, similar in legal position to many poor Englishmen who traded several years of labor (usually 4-7 years) in exchange for passage to America. The popular conception of a racial-based slave system did not develop until the 1680’s. 5The Algonquians eventually became disenchanted and, in 1622, attacked plantations killing over 300 of the settlers. Even though a last minute warning spared Jamestown, the attack on the colony and mismanagement of the Virginia Company at home convinced the King that he should revoke the Virginia Company Charter.

Virginia became a crown colony in 1624. 6Jamestown suffered many hardships. Next to the winter of 1609, the closest Jamestown came to destruction was in 1676. Dissatisfied with the government of Sir William Berkeley and its neglect of frontier defense, a man named Nathaniel Bacon led a popular uprising. He was able to drive Berkeley from Jamestown and set half of the city on fire.

7BibliographyBIBLIOGRAPHY1. Jamestown. The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Third Edition 1994.

Columbia University Press. www. encyclopedia. com/articles/06571. html2.

Jamestown Timeline. Anne Vietmeyer. Gunston Elementary School. 1996. www. gunstonelem/GunstonElemF/JamestownF/Jamestown1607.

html3. Jamestown. Williamsburg Online. 1994.

www. williamsburg. com/james/james4. Jamestown. Washburn Public Schools. Illinois.

1999. www. washburn. k12.

il. us/mool/jamestow. htm5. Jamestown Colony.

College of Humanities. Cornell University. 1997. www.history.ohio-state.edu/people/cornell.14/wk2lec2/index.htmHistory Essays

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jamestown 5 paragraph essay

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  1. Essays on Jamestown

    Early Jamestown Dbq Essay. 1 page / 479 words. The early settlement of Jamestown in 1607 marked a pivotal moment in American history, as it was the first permanent English settlement in North America. This essay will explore the challenges faced by the Jamestown settlers and how they overcame them.

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    Additionally, the settlers aimed to spread Christianity among the indigenous people. Subsequently, in 1624, the broader region was designated as Virginia, encompassing Jamestown, while new colonies emerged. This essay aims to delve into the reasons why did so many colonists died in Jamestown from 1607 to 1609.

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    The story of Jamestown is a story of hardships, all out failure, optimism, and success. Throughout many years, Jamestown had severe struggles and hardships, such as the "starving times" and the war with the Powhatan. People like John Smith and Thomas Gates were the saviors of the settlers at Jamestown.

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    You have two (2) tasks to accomplish by Friday, October 26. 1. Your first task is to write an essay that answers the guiding question above. In writing this essay you will show me what you have learned about Jamestown by discussing five (5) events or people that you consider important. We used several resources to learn about the colony and you ...

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