Jamestown
- Submitted by: dbogs
- Views: 340
- Category: History: American
- Date Submitted: 09/12/2013 01:21 PM
- Pages: 4
- Report this Essay
The Struggles of Jamestown
On May 14, 1607 three ships sailed for the new colony known as Jamestown Virginia.
The boats were packed with one hundred and four men and boys who left England on a cold December day. King James I had granted the Virginia Company its first charter which stated the right to establish colonies in Virginia. Any Englishmen that wanted to had the rights as colonists in the new settlement. The King had his eyes on Gold ore that had been found there by the Spanish and looked at this opportunity as an economic one for England. Little did they all know about the hardships that they would encounter in “the new world”. Life at Jamestown is the story of brave people with a fierce determination to survive which laid the foundation for our country today.
The first mistake the colonists made was the location. The goal was to find a place on a river so the colonists could search for a northwest passage, and that would be a key defensive position in case of attacks from the Natives and Spanish. The Location of Jamestown was in a swampy area and was isolated from most game which needed more space to inhabit. Almost all game on the tiny peninsula was killed and hunted immediately which left the settlers with little to eat. Not only was the location bad for hunting but the low, surrounding land was marshy and filled with mosquitos which carried and led to several diseases. Along with little food, and disease filled bugs, the river that Jamestown was located by was contaminated and unsuitable for drinking.
The colonists that traveled to the new land were mostly “gentlemen” who were ill equipped and not prepared to deal with the environmental obstructions Jamestown had for them. These men were not used to any kind of manual or skilled labor. They were not planning to grow their own food but to trade with the local Indians to supply them with enough food between constant trips of supply ships. Because these settlers were unskilled and untrained after...
On May 14, 1607 three ships sailed for the new colony known as Jamestown Virginia.
The boats were packed with one hundred and four men and boys who left England on a cold December day. King James I had granted the Virginia Company its first charter which stated the right to establish colonies in Virginia. Any Englishmen that wanted to had the rights as colonists in the new settlement. The King had his eyes on Gold ore that had been found there by the Spanish and looked at this opportunity as an economic one for England. Little did they all know about the hardships that they would encounter in “the new world”. Life at Jamestown is the story of brave people with a fierce determination to survive which laid the foundation for our country today.
The first mistake the colonists made was the location. The goal was to find a place on a river so the colonists could search for a northwest passage, and that would be a key defensive position in case of attacks from the Natives and Spanish. The Location of Jamestown was in a swampy area and was isolated from most game which needed more space to inhabit. Almost all game on the tiny peninsula was killed and hunted immediately which left the settlers with little to eat. Not only was the location bad for hunting but the low, surrounding land was marshy and filled with mosquitos which carried and led to several diseases. Along with little food, and disease filled bugs, the river that Jamestown was located by was contaminated and unsuitable for drinking.
The colonists that traveled to the new land were mostly “gentlemen” who were ill equipped and not prepared to deal with the environmental obstructions Jamestown had for them. These men were not used to any kind of manual or skilled labor. They were not planning to grow their own food but to trade with the local Indians to supply them with enough food between constant trips of supply ships. Because these settlers were unskilled and untrained after...