may 13, 1607 - Establishment
of Jamestown
(Virginia)
Description:
English settlers with the Virginia Company reached the shores of Virginia in April of 1607 with three ships, the Susan Constant, Discovery and Godspeed. The charter that approved this action was granted by King James I the year prior (1606). Jamestown was the first officially established English settlement in North America, they named it after their King, as well as the nearby river (the James). At first, the settlement seemed to be in danger, all that was done was the act of acquiring gold, washing it, refining and exporting it to England. John Smith became the leader of Jamestown in the winter of 1607 and forced colonists to farm and persuaded the native american (Powhatan) Indians to provide much needed food. An accident occurred later that winter in which a spark ignited a bag of gunpowder, setting John on fire and causing injuries so bad that he was forced to head back to England. In the spring of 1609, 600 new colonists settled in Jamestown. Afraid, the Powhatan Indians killed the colonists' livestock and destroyed their farms, causing a massive famine the following winter that killed off most of the colonists. Of the 600 new settlers, only about 60 remained. Jamestown finally started to fully develop with the farming of tobacco, which they then sold to Indians and back to England. More than 1.5 million pounds of tobacco were exported to England each year by the late 1620s. The headright system came into place by the Virginia Company that entitled anyone who paid for their own or other's passage to 50 acres of land upon arrival. This lead to indentured servants being transported to Jamestown and eventually slavery became a dependency to Virginia's economy.
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