Jamestown
- Established 1607 (May 14th) 3 ships carrying 105 men and boys land on the Virginia Coast
Colony named for King James I sponsored by the 'Virginia Company'
Voyage led by the Admiral Christopher Newport ~ They chose swampland to start their settlement
- After 1 month ~Admiral Newport heads back to England and leaves John Smith in charge
Many of the colonists were only interested in Gold ~The colonists begin starving to death/Smith forces them to work
John Smith begins searching for food in Indian lands(Powahatan) He is captured and later released by Chief Powahatan (Pocahontas story)
Under Smith the English develop a system of "compulsory purchase": if the Indians refused to sell corn they took it by force, leaving a few trinkets as payment
John Smith: "i durst undertake to have corne enough from the Salvages for 300 men, for a few trifles. And if they should be untoward (as it is most certaine they are) thirty or forty good men will be sufficient to bring them all in subjection..."
Under Smith the English develop a system of "compulsory purchase": if the Indians refused to sell corn they took it by force, leaving a few trinkets as payment
John Smith: "i durst undertake to have corne enough from the Salvages for 300 men, for a few trifles. And if they should be untoward (as it is most certaine they are) thirty or forty good men will be sufficient to bring them all in subjection..."
Smith later leaves Jamestown after building an uneasy peace with Pocahontas and colonists
- 1609 Many new colonists arrive ~ This further pushes English settlements into Powahatan lands
A new crop, European (Spanish Blend) Tobacco, is introduced by John Rolfe
- 1617 50,000 pounds of Tobacco had been exported to England
John Rolfe later marries Pocahontas
- 1619 First African Slaves come to Jamestown
- 1622 The Powhatans were fed up with English Expansion; kill 400 settlers
- 1623 Colonists fake a peace treaty they kill/poison 250 Indians
