The Jamestown Colony- England’s First Successful Colony in North

America -

Vocabulary: Charter:

Joint-StockCompany

a legal document that gives permission dosomething, usually to explore, settle, andgovern land (example: the company was chartered in 1850)

: a group of investors who were given authority by the King to setup colonies in North America. The investors made money on what was found in the new world.

The Virginia Company: a joint-stock companycreated by King James I of England to colonize Virginia

Joint-Stock Companies(The Virginia Company)

1.) Each group has 9 pictures.

2.) These 9 pictures go in order to tell the storyof the Jamestown colony.

3.) Arrange the pictures so they are in thecorrect order, from earliest to latest.

Now…the story of Jamestown!

Jamestown

1.) In 1607, the Virginia Company colonizes Jamestown on a

swampy area along the James River

2.) Jamestown is built in a swampy, coastal area foreasy transportation

3.) Jamestown is founded to make profits mining gold.None is found, tobacco is the main crop

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4.) Scarce food forced colonists to create a trade alliance withthe Powhatan tribe

5.)Not getting all the food needed to survive from the Powhatan,colonists demanded food from neighboring tribes.

6.) Natives responded to colonists kidnappings and murder

7.) The Powhatan, worried the colonists would do somethingto hurt them, decided to “starve them out.”

8.)Colonists died from drinking diseased water,starvation, and cannibalism

9.)Only 60 out of 500 colonists survived the “starving time.”

10.) Strong leadership, martial law, and aggressive takeovers of native land save Jamestown from destruction.

• The fifteenth day of June, we had built and finished our fort, whichwas triangle-wise, having three bulwarks at every corner like ahalf- moon, and four or five pieces of artillery mounted in them. Wehad made ourselves sufficiently strong for these savages. We hadalso sown most of our corn on two mountains. It sprang a man’sheight from the ground. This country is a fruitful soil, bearing manygoodly and fruitful trees.... Monday, the two and twentieth of June,in the morning, Captain Newport in the admiral departed fromJames Port for England. Captain Newport, being gone for England,leaving us (one hundred and four persons) very bare and scanty ofvictuals, furthermore in wars and in danger of the savages. Wehoped after a supply, which Captain Newport promised withintwenty weeks. But if the beginners of this action do carefully furtherus, the country being so fruitful, it would be as great a profit to therealm of England, as the Indies to the King of Spain.

• About the tenth of September there was about 46 of our mendead, at which time Captain Wingfield, having ordered theaffairs in such sort that he was generally hated of all, in whichrespect with one consent he was deposed from his presidency,and Captain Ratcliffe according to his course was elected. Ourprovision now being within twenty days spent, the Indiansbrought us great store both of corn and bread ready made. Andalso there came such abundance of fowls into the rivers asgreatly refreshed our weak estates, whereupon many of ourweak men were presently able to go abroad. As yet we had nohouses to cover us. Our tents were rotten and our cabinsworse than nought. Our best commoditie was iron, which wemade into little chisels.

• As at this time were most of our chiefest men either sick or

discontented, the rest being in such despair as they wouldrather starve and rot with idleness than be persuaded to doanything for their own relief, without constraint. Our victualsbeing now within eighteen days spent, and the Indians’ tradedecreasing, I was sent to the mouth of the river toKecoughtan, an Indian town, to trade for corn, and try the riverfor fish.

• Now all of us at Jamestown beginning to feel that sharp prick ofhunger, which no man truly describe but he hath tasted thebitterness thereof. A world of miseries ensued, as the sequel willexpress unto you, in so much that some to satisfy their hungerhave robbed the store, for the which I caused them to beexecuted. Then, having fed upon horses and other beasts aslong as they lasted, we were glad to make shift with vermin, asdogs, cats, rats, and mice. All was fish that came to net to satisfycruel hunger, as to eat boots, shoes, or any other leather somecould come by. And those being spent and devoured, some wereenforced to search the woods and to feed upon serpents andsnakes, and to dig the earth for wild and unknown roots, wheremany of our men were cut off and slain by the savages.

• Our men were destroyed with cruel diseases as swellings,

fluxes, burning fevers, and by wars, and some departedsuddenly, but for the most part they died of meer famine.There were never Englishmen left in a foreign country insuch misery as we were in this new discoveredVirginia.....Our food was but a small can of barley sod inwater to five men a day; our drink cold water taken out ofthe river, which was at a flood very salty, at a low tide full ofslime and filth, which was the destruction of many of ourmen. Thus, we lived for the space of five months in thismiserable distress, not having five able men to man ourbulwarks upon any occasion. Finally, help arrived andsaved us…but anyone there in those grim times thought forsure we were done.

• Every man and woman shall attend church services twice aday on each work day upon hearing the tolling of the bell. Nonattendance will result in losing his or her day’s rations for thefirst offense, being whipped for the second offense and beingcondemned to the gallies [probably refers to some type ofcoastal sea service] for six months for the third offense.

• Every man and woman shall attend church service on Sunday

morning and afternoon. Non attendance will result in loss ofprovisions and allowance for a whole week on the first offense.For the second offense, he or she shall lose their allowanceand be whipped. For the third offense, he or she shall sufferdeath.

• Anyone who takes an oath untruthfully or gives false testimony

about another person shall be punished with death.

• No man, unless appointed by a lawful authority,shall barter or trade with the Indians, upon pain ofdeath.

• No man shall take away anything by force from any

Indian coming to trade or in any other situation, onpain of death.

• No man shall take, lose, or willfully break a spade,

shovel, hatchet, axe, or other tool, upon pain ofwhipping.