Jamestown Research Paper

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Imagine yourself stuck in a cramped dark room for four months straight. Now imagine leaving your home where you grew up your whole life and not knowing if you would ever return. This is what every settler went through when they embarked on this treacherous journey. The people that endured this journey were only the beginning of what was to become the greatest country on earth. Jamestown, Virginia was the first successful British colony in the new world because of the leadership the colony had, the help from the Native Americans, and the determination of the settlers. This epic journey started with a charter granted by King James I. A group of about 100 people set sail from England in December of 1606. The fleet of three ships took about four…show more content…
Jamestown had many leaders, but two that stood out greatly were Captain John Smith and John Rolfe. Both leaders made huge contributions to the success of the colony. John Smith had a very interesting life that led him to Jamestown. He was born in 1580 in Willoughby, England. At age sixteen he joined volunteers in France fighting for independence from Spain. In 1600 he was promoted to captain while fighting with Austrians against the Turks. During this war, he was captured and sold into slavery. Two years later he escaped and returned to England. Smith was unsatisfied with his life in England so he became involved in the Virginia Company’s plan to make a colony in the new world. He boarded one of the three ships that set sail for America in December of 1606. While sailing the long four month journey, he was charged with mutiny by Captain Christopher Newport, the leader of the expedition, and imprisoned on the ship. When they finally arrived to the new land, Smith was released when they discovered orders from the Virginia Company saying Smith was supposed to be a member of the council. When Smith was released, he was forced to grow accustom to the foreign land. The colony struggled at first, but Smith proved useful when he was able to acquire food from the surrounding Indians. In 1607 he was captured by Powhatan Indians and faced execution by Chief Powhatan, the supreme ruler of that region. “At last they had brought him to Werowocomoco, where was Powhatan, their emperor” (Smith, 48). When Smith first caught sight of Chief Powhatan he described him, “he sat covered with a great robe made of raccoon skins and all tails hanging by. On either hand did sit a young wench of sixteen or eighteen years” (Smith, 48). Unexpectedly, Smith was saved by Chief Powhatan’s daughter, the famous Pocahontas. “Laid his head and being ready with their clubs to beat his out his brains, Pocahontas, the king's dearest

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