Jamestown: What Caused the Failure of the Jamestown Colony in 1610?

History Alive Text, Jamestown Colony 6.3, p.61-62

In 1606, King James gave permission to a group of wealthy men to start a colony in North America. The group sent settlers to Virginia hoping to make money for the colony.

In April 1607, 105 settlers arrived in Virginia. Most of them hoped to become wealthy by finding natural riches like gold. They picked a spot near a wide river and built a settlement. In honor of King James, they called it Jamestown.

Unfortunately, the settlers built Jamestown on a marsh. A marsh is a low lying area of wet land that is sometimes unhealthful for people. The water around Jamestown was dirty and salty. The land was not good for farming. And mosquitoes carried a deadly disease called malaria.

Within 8 months, disease killed most of the settlers. By January 1608, only 38 of them were still alive.

In late 1607, one of the settlers, Captain John Smith, was captured by some Native Americans. They took Smith to their chief, a man named Powhatan. Powhatan ordered Smith to kneel and lay his head between two stones. Several men raised their clubs in the air. Smith believed that he was about to be killed.

At that moment, Powhatan's young daughter, Pocahontas, laid her head on Smith's. Smith believed that she saved his life. Historians, though think Smith may have misunderstood the Native American ritual.

Later, Pocahontas visited Jamestown several times, bringing food to the settlers. Powhatan's people also taught the settlers to hunt, plant crops and fish. Meanwhile, more settlers kept arriving from England.

In 1608, John Smith was elected President of the colony. Many of the settlers were "gentlemen" who were used to having servants do all the work. Smith knew that the settlement needed everyone's help in order to survive. He said firmly that any man who would not work would not eat. Smith's leadership helped to save the colony. That winter, only 18 colonists died.

The next year, Smith returned to England after being badly burnt by an explosion of gunpowder. The colonists had lost a strong leader, and Powhatan was no longer helping them. The winter of 1609-1610 was known as the "Starving Time". Many settlers had to eat horses and dogs. Hundreds of them died. Only about 60 settlers survived.

The Jamestown settlers never found any gold. They needed a way to support their colony in order to stay in America. Then, a man named John Rolfe found a way to grow a sweet tasting kind of tobacco. People in England loved the new Virginia tobacco. Now the settlers had something that they could trade for money and supplies. Tobacco became Virginia's "gold”.

Documents

Document A: John Smith's Description of the Powhatans, 1612. (Primary Source)

[Modern Version] Each family has its own land and gardens. They do their own work. For clothes they wear animal skins. In winter they wear skins with the fur and hair left on, but in summer they wear leather. More important people wear cloaks made of deer skins that look like the cloaks the Irish wear...They build their homes near rivers or springs. They tie long slender branches together in bundles and weave them into a frame for the house, like a giant basket. Then they lay mats or bark over this frame. The houses are warm and snug, but very smokey, even though they leave a hole above their fireplaces for smoke...Their houses are surrounded by their own fields and gardens. This farmland can be a small plot or large fields. Sometimes these houses are grouped together, separated only by groves of trees. Near their homes are piles of wood for burning in their home fires...Parents give children several names. Women have babies easily, and love them very much. To make babies strong, on the coldest mornings they wash them in rivers. They also put oils and lotions on the skin of babies to protect them against the weather. Men fish, hunt, and go to war. Women often work while the men are idle. Women and children do all the work. They make mats, baskets, pots, and grinding tools, grind corn into flour, bake bread, and do all the cooking. They also do the farming, planting, raising, and gathering of corn. Women do the hauling and all the other heavy work...

They use boats for fishing. The boats are made by burning out the center of the tree. They scrape away the burned coals with stones and shells to form a long hollow trough. These boats can be almost four feet deep and 40 or 50 feet long. Some will hold 400 men, but most are smaller, holding 10 to 30 men. They use paddles instead of oars and can travel quickly...

John Smith, A Map of Virginia. With a Description of the Countrey, the Commodities, People, Government and Religion...(Oxford, 1612).

Document B: Watercolor Drawing of Indian Village of Pomeiooc (1585-6) http://www.virtualjamestown.org/images/white_debry_html/whi te31.html IS ON THE POWERPOINT

Document C: Engraving of Indians making boats (1590) http://www.virtualjamestown.org/images/white_debry_html/deb ry128.html IS ON THE POWERPOINT

Document D: Reprinted from Travels and Works of Captain John Smith, President of Virginia, and Admiral of New England, 1610. (Primary Source)

[Modern Version] Six months after Captain Smith left, the cruelty of the [Powhatans], the stupidity of our leaders, and the loss of our ships [when they sailed away] caused 440 of the 500 people in Jamestown to die ...

We still call this time the "Starving Time." What we suffered was too terrible to talk about and too hard to believe. But the fault was our own. We starved because we did not plan well, work hard, or have good government. Our problems were not because the land was bad, as most people believe.

Excerpted from Travels and Works of Captain John Smith. Ed. Edward Arber, F.S.A. Vol. 2. Edinburgh; John Grant, 1910. Document E: Excerpted from The Proceedings of the English Colonie in Virginia Since Their First Beginning. By William Simmonds. Oxford, 1612. (Primary Source) "It was the spaniards good hap to happen upon those parts where were infinite numbers of people, whoe had manured the ground with that providence that it afforded victuall at all times; and time had brought them to that perfection (that) they had the use of gold and silver, and (of) the most of such commodities as their countries affoorded; so that what the Spanaird got was only the spoile and pillage of those countrie people, and not the labours of their owne hands.

But had those fruitfull Countries beene as Salvage (i.e., savage), as barbarous, as ill-peopled, as little planted laboured and manured, as Virginia; their proper labors, it is likely would have produced as small a profit as ours."

Excerpted from The Proceedings of the English Colonie in Virginia Since Their First Beginning. By William Simmonds. Oxford, 1612.

Document F: Reprinted from "George Percy's Account of the Voyage to Virginia and the Colony's First Days", 1607. (Primary Source)

[Modern Version] Thanks to God, our deadly enemies saved us by bringing food - great amounts of bread, corn, fish, and meat. This food saved all of us weak and starving men. Otherwise we would all have died. Leaders from other tribes also brought us food and supplies which made us comfortable.

Excerpted from "George Percy's Account of the Voyage to Virginia and the Colony's First Days" Jamestown Voyages. Ed. Barbour. Vol. 1.

Document G: Reprinted from Travels and Works of Captain John Smith, President of Virginia, and Admiral of New England, 1610. (Primary Source)

In January, 1609, the colony of Jamestown was starving. The famine forced Captain John Smith to seek the aid of Powhatan and his people. Relying on his fierce will as much as his intelligence and experience, Captain Smith commanded the quarrelsome settlers of Jamestown, England's only colony at the time. Until he had taken charge, Jamestown had teetered on the brink of destruction. Even with his leadership, the colony's problems remained serious.

From their arrival in 1607, the settlers had always depended on the lndians of the region for food. But the unpredictable and often violent behavior of the English had caused Powhatan, the powerful chief of over two dozen tribes, to forbid his people from trading with the settlers. Although Smith desperately needed the lndians' corn, he stood this day before Powhatan not as a beggar but as someone who had been wronged by a friend. After arguing that Jamestown's settlers had been promised food by Powhatan, Smith claimed that the swords and guns the lndians wanted in exchange for food could not be spared. Then Smith ended his speech with a quiet threat, "The weapons I have can keep me from want: yet steal, or wrong you, I will not, nor dissolve that friendship we have mutually promised, unless you force me."

..... After long negotiations and despite Powhatan's doubts, he promised to give the English what food his people could spare. His decision profoundly affected both peoples -white and red.

Document H: List of settlers  Original Settlers  First Supply  Second Supply

Census Data is culled from John Smith, “Proceedings of the English Colony in Virginia” and Generall Historie (Printed with original spelling)

Original Settlers May 13, 1607 http://www.apva.org/history/orig.html

Name Occupation Councell

 Master Edward Maria Wingfield  Captaine Bartholomew Gosnoll  Captaine John Smyth  Captaine John Ratliffe  Captaine John Martin

 Captaine George Kendall

Preacher  Master Robert Hunt

 Master George Percie  Anthony Gosnoll  Captaine Gabriell Archer  Robert Ford  William Bruster  Dru Pickhouse  John Brookes  Thomas Sands  John Robinson  Ustis Clovill  Kellam Throgmorton  Nathaniell Powell  Robert Behethland  Jeremy Alicock Gentlemen  Thomas Studley  Richard Crofts  Nicholas Houlgrave  Thomas Webbe  John Waler  William Tanker  Francis Snarsbrough  Edward Brookes  Richard Dixon  John Martin  George Martin  Anthony Gosnold  Thomas Wotton, Surgeon  Thomas Gore

 Francis Midwinter Carpenters  William Laxon  Edward Pising  Thomas Emry  Robert Small  Anas Todkill

 John Capper

Blacksmith  James Read

Sailer  Jonas Profit

Barber  Thomas Couper

 John Herd Bricklayers

 William Garret

Mason  Edward Brinto

Taylor  William Love

Drum  Nicholas Skot Labourers

 John Laydon  William Cassen  George Cassen  Thomas Cassen  William Rods  William White  Ould Edward  Henry Tavin  George Golding  John Dods  William Johnson  William Unger

 William Wickinson, Surgeon

 Samuell Collier  Nathaniel Peacock Boyes  James Brumfield

 Richard Mutton

 With divers others

First Supply January 1608 http://www.apva.org/history/1stsup.html

Name Occupation

appointed to be of

 Matthew Scrivner the Councell

Gentlemen

 Michaell Phetyplace  William Phetyplace  Ralfe Morton  William Cantrill  Richard Wyffin  Robert Barnes  George Hill  George Pretty  John Taverner  Robert Cutler  Michaell Sickelmore  Thomas Coo  Peter Pory  Richard Killingbeck  William Causey  Doctor Russell  Richard Worley  Richard Prodger  William Bayley  Richard Molynex  Richard Pots  Jefrey Abots  John Harper  Timothy Leds  Edward Gurganay  George Forest  John Nickoles

 William Gryvill

Jeweller  Daniell Stalling

 William Dawson Refiners

 Abraham Ransacke

 William Johnson Refiners

 Richard Belfield

A Gunner  Peter Keffer

A Perfumer  Robert Alberton

Labourers

 Raymond Goodyson  John Speareman  William Spence  Richard Brislow  William Simons  John Bouth  William Burket  Nicholas Ven  William Perce  Francis Perkins  Francis Perkins  William Bentley  Richard Gradon  Rowland Nelstrop  Richard Salvage  Thomas Salvage  Richard Miler  William May  Vere  Michaell

 Bishop Wyles

 John Powell  Thomas Hope  William Beckwith Tailers  William Yonge  Laurence Towtales

 William Ward

 Christopher Rodes  James Watkings  Richard Fetherstone

 James Burne

 Thomas Feld Apothecaries

 John Harford

A Surgeon  Post Gittnat

A Couper  John Lewes

A Tobacco-pipe-

 Robert Cotton maker A Blackesmith  Richard Dole

 With divers others

Second Supply Fall 1608 http://www.apva.org/history/2ndsup.html

Name Occupation

Were appointed to  Captaine Peter Winne bee of the Councell  Captaine Richard Waldo

Gentlemen

 Master Francis West  Thomas Graves  Rawley Chroshaw  Gabriell Bedle  John Russell  John Bedle  William Russell  John Gudderington  William Sambage  Henry Collings  Henry Ley  Harmon Haryson  Daniell Tucker  Hugh Wollystone  John Hoult  Thomas Norton  George Yarington  George Burton  Henry Philpot  Thomas Maxes  Michaell Lowicke  Master Hunt  Thomas Forest  William Dowman  John Dauxe

 Thomas Abbey

 Thomas Phelps  John Prat  John Clarke  Jefry Shortridge  Dionis Oconor  Hugh Wynne  David ap Hugh Tradesmen  Thomas Bradley  John Burras  Thomas Lavander  Henry Bell  Master Powell  David Ellys

 Thomas Gipson

 Thomas Dowse  Thomas Mallard  William Taler  Thomas Fox  Nicholas Hancock  Walker Laborers  Williams  Morrell  Rose  Scot

 Hardwin

 Milman Boyes

 Hellyard

 Mistresse Forrest, and Anne Burras her maide

 eight Dutch men and Poles, with some others