The settlers had came to virgina to search for gold, establish trades, essentially to make money. So, on December 20, 1606 Capt. Christopher Newport leaves London with the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery bound for Virgina after they were issued a charter by James I on April 1606. On April 26, 1607 the three ships arrived in the Cheapsake Bay. James Smith, while on the boat, had described the rest of the settlers as not ready.. On April 29, 1607, The English erect a cross at Cape Henry, caliming the land for James I. On May 14, 1607, 104 male settlers land at the site they name James Cittie and establish the first permanent English settlmentt in North America. Afterwards they had encountered Natives, on the boats they had expect them to welcome them with open arms, they werve very wrong; instead, the natives had attacked them.
The jamestown settlers expierenced many struggles incuding disease, death from natives, salt water poisoning, and possible poisoning from spainard spys. Many settlers kept dying from these causes. These are all some of the main causes, though some of them are just speculated by researchers. Salt water poisoning and possible poisoning from spainard spys aren't entirely true, though researches may believe the settlers have died from these specific causes, they do have some evidence they could've. Researches believe that they could've died from slat water poisoning because, during the time they had arrived on cheapsake bay the bay was going through one of the worst drought it has ever had. THe reason they believe why they think they could've been poisoned by spainard spys because they've found items that usually spainards carried around.
Died of disease or salt water poisoning
Died from native americans
Credit: https://historicjamestowne.org/for all slides
December 1607 John Smith was captured while searching for food by the brother of chief Powhatan, he was brought to the chief. Two other natives seemed like they were gonna beat him to death, but pocahontas saves him. The natives were generally friendly to them for the next year, they were provided with food from time to time and furs to trade for hatchets and trinkets. Pocahontas essentially helped the colony by not letting her father take them out. In January 1609, negotiations with Powhatan turned sour, Pocahonas snuck through the nighttime woods to Smith's camp to warn him that her father had ordered Smith killed, he and his men escaped.
Don't kill them father
ok
WInter 1609-1610, also called the starving time, cheif Powhatan has warriors lay siege to James Fort, trapping about 300 settlers inside. Settlers eat horses, snakes, rats, cats, dogs, and shoe leather to avoid starvation that kills all but 60 of the forts residents by the springtime. One of the settlers trapped in James Fort is a 14-year old girl who arrived on the Third Supply. When she dies, desperate settlers resort to survivor cannibalism. Some researches believed that they even dug up graves of settlers that've died in the past so they could eat. Yes, they were believed to have resorted to cannibalism due to how hungry they were. 300 settlers and only 60 survived, thats how bad it was.
So.... Hungry....
Smith is elected President of the colony on september 10th, 1608; he will soon issue the edict that he that will not work shall not eat He helped them by this because, the colony began to make progess, the settlers dug the first well, planted crops and began repairing the fort that had burnt down the previous winter. He essentially installed a policy of rigid discipline, strengthened defenses, and encouraged farming with his order that all must work or face starvation. Though in October of 1609 he was replaced by Captain George Percy because, Smith was badly wounded in a suspicious gunpowder explosion and forced to return to England. Researches believe the gunpowder explosion was a set up. Chief Powahatan had told him men to kill Smith not too long ago, though he and his men had escaped. So, possibly, somebody had tried to kill him.
He that will not work shall not eat
In May of 1609, John Rolfe boarded the Sea Venture bound for Virgina. Though, In July a massive hurricane scattered the fleet, and the Sea Venture ran aground off the Bermuda. All of the 150 people safely reached shore and salvaged much of the ship's supplies for what would be a 10-month stay. By spring of 1610, the survivors had made two smaller ships out of trees and salvage from the shipwreck. They reached the Cheapsake Bay after 10 days of sailing. There, they found a colony struggling to return its profits to its sponsers in the Virgina Company. The colonists had tried everything with no finacial success. rolfe decided to expieriment with tobacco, which until that point had been controlled on European markets by the Spanish. Ralph Humor, Secretary of Virgina, said Rolfe used tobacco seeds he obtained somewhere in the Caribbean. Rolfe gave some tobacco from his crop to friends to make triall of,' and they agreed the new leaf smoked pleasant, sweete and strong. The remainder of the crop was shipped to England where it was compared favorable with Spanish leaf.
I'm gonna try to grow tobacco
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