The Jamestown Colony

What was Jamestown?

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America, founded in 1607.

What happened at the Jamestown colony?

Jamestown is famous as the first permanent English settlement in America, but the colonists were lucky to survive as long as they did.

• ❖ The settlers suffered many hardships, similar to previous attempts at colonisation, such as difficulty growing crops.
• ❖ Some who went to Jamestown were very wealthy and they were unused to the hardships of manual labour.
• ❖ With the support of the local Powhatan tribe, the settlers were able to farm the land and grow tobacco (which was easier to obtain than gold). Growing tobacco could make them wealthy.
• ❖ When the settlers suffered a harsh winter, they went to war with the Powhatan tribe, although they did eventually make peace and restore good relations.
• ❖ More and more British migrants ended up moving to Jamestown to grow tobacco and make a profit.
• ❖ Due to the eventual success of Jamestown, other colonies started up in the east coast of America, such as New Plymouth.