Rise and Fall of the Jamestown Colony Essay - 2347 Words

Rise and Fall of the Jamestown Colony The English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, was founded on May 14, 1607 by Captain Christopher Newport and his fleet of a hundred or so Englishmen. During the next nine decades, this settlement would begin as a verie fit place for the erecting of a great cittie(Tyler, 33), and develop into nothing but Abundance of Brick Rubbish, and three or four good inhabited houses(Miers, 107). Two major factors led to the gradual decay and destruction of Jamestown: (1) The profit-before-survival attitude of the English settlers, and (2) the persistence of the Indians of the area to drive the English from their native lands. On the 26th day of April, 1607, three small ships - Susan Constant,†¦show more content†¦Once the English colonists decided on a site for their settlement they quickly set to work, as Thomas Abby tells us, Now falleth every man to worke, the Councell contrive the Fort, the rest cut downe trees to make place to pitch their Tents; some provide clapboard to relade the ships, some make gardens, some nets, c. The Salvages often visited us kindly(Tyler, 123). The Salvages Abby speaks of, were most likely members of one of the Algonquian tribes which occupied the country near Jamestown. These tribes inhabited the land in Virginia east of a line running from Washington, D.C., through Fredericksburg, Richmond, Petersburg, and then turning southeast along the Blackwater River and extending into coastal North Carolina as far as the Neuse River. They also inhabited the two counties Accomak and Northampton in the present Eastern Shore, Virginia. The Algonquians pushed down into Virginia from the north centuries before the coming of the English. Shortly before the English colony was established at Jamestown in 1607, chief Powhatan had brought under his control by conquest most of the Algonquian tribes in the tidewater country. This confederacy was held together by his despotic power. John Smith names twenty-eight tribesShow MoreRelatedHistorical Systems of Power, Governance, and Authority1182 Words   |  5 Pagesplayed a major part in the rise and fall of power structure and governance in the world. Societies have been overtaken, ruled, risen, and fallen. Wars have been fought for the power of one society, faction, or government to rule another. Non violent revolutions have enacted changes in power as well, making significant changes in power structures. In 1604, King James I gave a land grant to a group of entrepreneurs known as The Virginia Company to establish a colony in North America in the ChesapeakeRead MoreHistory Of Tobacco During The Colonial Period1505 Words   |  7 PagesAugust 2015 Short Answers 2. (a). Tobacco, as it relates to the early colonial period, was a fundamental cash crop for the southern colonies. It was first discovered by Europeans after Columbus’s first return from the West Indies, and by the early 17th century, tobacco from the Spanish colonies was widely used throughout Europe. John Rolfe, a Jamestown planter, experimented and produced high quality tobacco which quickly spread throughout the Chesapeake Bay. As there was great demand forRead MoreThe Discovery Of The Indigenous Native Peoples1325 Words   |  6 Pagesgoods he returned home. 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