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jamestown_ppt.pptxThe Founding of Jamestown Virginia
By: Brandon Zekis
Jamestown Overview
Jamestown was the first English colony of the New World, founded well before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, MA
Captain Amadas Landed in VA in the early 1600’s with the funding of the Virginia Company with the goals of creating new colonies and have significant stake for the British in the New World.
Unlike the Spanish the British did not have the same prosperity in the New World.
Disease and lack of food were major problems which the British did not expect to encounter and as a result were ill-prepared.
Indian and English conflict added to the problems by nearly eliminating the British population in Jamestown. (Live Science)
The First Voyage
Funded by the Virginia Company Captain Amadas set sail to the New World choosing Jamestown as it allowed for a sheltered place to land in hopes to avoid confrontation from the Indians.
Jamestown turned out to be a mosquito infested swampland providing for harsh winters and horrible living conditions.
The colonists had hoped for Jamestown to be a prosperous and safe location but turned out to be a complete flop.
Through the conditions and Indian relations the colonists were doomed from the beginning.
(The First Voyage)
The First Winter
Of the 500 colonists who inhabited the Jamestown area only 60 survived their first winter.
The colonists had hoped to trade with local Indians and did not account for their food and survival needs.
There was a drought the year before the winter and most colonists had no food.
Archeologists say many of the colonists resorted to cannibalism in order to survive.
There were many cases of butchered bones indicating the removal of flesh from the bodies.
Many of the marks appeared to be inexpertly made indicating hesitation in the butchering of fellow humans.
The colonists needed to do anything they could to survive and cannibalism was the point in which they reached.
The lack of food sparked bad relationships with the Indians due to sparse recourses.
(A Chilling Discovery at Jamestown)
Indian Relations
There were a series of three wars between the Indians and the colonists.
In 1614 a peace treaty was signed but there were still uncertain tensions with the Indians.
In 1622 the Indians carried out a series of attacks against the colonists while they were at their weakest. The colonists were experiencing poor harvests and starving when the Indians attacked resulting in over 300 deaths.
These attacks made it very difficult for the colonists to prosper and as a result set them back significantly in their goal of colonizing Jamestown.
Originally the colonists had hopes of a peaceful relationship with the Indians but that soon turned bad once food became an issue. (Live Science, A chilling Discovery at Jamestown)
The significance of oysters
One of the major food sources the colonists found during their starvation period was oysters.
The James River proved to be a great source for oysters and allowed the colonists a protein filled food source to help survive the brutal winters.
Unfortunately it was not until the first winter did the colonists find these oysters or many more would have survived the harsh conditions. (Harding)
Bibliography
“The First Voyage Made to the Coasts of America,.” Accessed July 9, 2016. http://www.virtualjamestown.org/exist/cocoon/jamestown/fha/J1014
Secondary Sources:
Harding, Juliana M., and Howard J. Spero. "Reconstructing Early 17th Century Estuarine Drought Conditions from Jamestown Oysters." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107, no. 23 (June 8, 2010): 10549-0554.
POWELL, ERIC A. "A Chilling Discovery At Jamestown." ARCHAEOLGY VOL, 12th ser., 66, no. 4 (July 1, 2013): 12. Accessed August 2, 2016.
Other sources:
"Jamestown: Facts & History." LiveScience. Accessed July 09, 2016. http://www.livescience.com/38595-jamestown-history.html.
"History of Jamestown." History Is Fun. Accessed July 09, 2016. http://www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement/history-jamestown/.
