Jamestown Colony
You probably know that Jamestown Colony, later to become Virginia, was the first of the 13 colonies. Thus, you would think that it was started by a bunch of adventurous, brave, and heroic pioneers. This is false.
Jamestown was founded by a group of nobles who did not know what they were doing, but were willing to endanger their lives for the purpose of expanding their country. They had one brave leader by the name of Bartholomew Gosnold.
This was not a first time adventure for Gosnold, which, in his case, made it all the more daring. In 1602, he had came over with a group of about 50 men to start a colony. They had landed nea, what is now New England and had settled near Rhode Island. He and his men built a hut and started a "shared business." But there had been an argument about how much of the profit went to who, and they had begun to squabble amongst themselves.
This is an oak tree planted at Runnymede during the U.S. Bicentennial celebration to commemorate Jamestown, VA, the first U.S. settlement.
Image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, picture by wyrdlight.com; used with permission. We have cropped it so you can read the plaque.
Gosnold immediately saw that this was a dangerous way to reside. They were already facing the threat of a native attack, and they only grew weaker as they had more internal disagreements. Due to this, he ordered them to all pack up, and they sailed back to England. If it were not for the failure of this adventure, Rhode Island would have been the first colony.
Later, he was asked to go back to North America and start an English colony. When he refused, he was overridden by the king. Thus he set out on an expedition to The New World. This time he had a group of about 100 nobles and a fellow pioneer known as John Smith.
My reader may be pleased to know that this is indeed the John Smith who spun stories of Pocahontas. Due to his habit of colorful storytelling, there is no way to determine whether or not any of his numerous tales about her are fact or were merely created to embellish his reputation. But, it is extremely unlikely that the romantic fairy tale that is told in the modern day movies and story books is true.
After Smith went to America the first time and came back, he told the story of a young, beautiful woman running to his rescue and saving him from execution. This story seemed believable enough; however, it was not until Pocahontas became famous that he began to say it was a native princess that rescued him. After Pocahontas died, he began to name her specifically as the one who saved him from this tragic death.
Furthermore, Smith made his story out to be a romance between the two of them; however, at the time he met Pocahontas she was but a little girl, and he was already grown. In my research I found in several places, including a quote from Gosnold, that Smith was a bit of a storyteller. Even in his day the accuracy of those stories was under question.
When Gosnold, Smith, and the nobles embarked upon their mission, they had no idea what hardships lay waiting for them. Upon arrival at what soon would be Jamestown Colony, their great adventure began.
While his tales likely both exaggerated and multiplied his experiences, John Smith had actually had his share in adventure in life. Due to his past experience in carpentry, Smith was a great help to Gosnold in building shelters for the colonists. Most of the men they had brought over, being nobles, were not accustomed to having to work for any reason. They found that life in the New World was much harder than they had anticipated.
They literally had nothing. The one thing they had to hold on to during the trying weather, scavenging for food, and sleeping outside was the promise that one day they would have something great for their families. In Jamestown Colony they had a chance at a new life. They could have freedom of religion, make a fortune, and make their mark on history. America was a land of plenty, and this was their chance to seize it before someone else did. Every man that came over, came with this promise. This was what drove them to continue through the trials and toils.
Gosnold and Smith worked hard to teach them how to live off the land. Most of them had planned for the land to provide for them and were shocked when they found themselves fending off the wilderness.
Within a year of their arrival, Jamestown Colony already had houses. They were just learning to farm when a plague of Malaria came through. Gosnold contracted the worst case of all. Although the people worked hard to help him, their efforts were to no avail. Gosnold died in 1608 and was buried just outside of Jamestown.
The loss of Gosnold was a great one to the people. He had been the one to whom they looked during the hardship. Now they were left with no one to turn to but Smith.
By this time the people could build houses and were working on making a marketplace for trading food and supplies. They did not yet know how to plant and grow their own food, and their hunting skills were not yet adequate. What happened next was a miracle.
There was a neighboring tribe of Native Americans that had not become hostile to the "paleskins." It was then that John Smith asked them to help this struggling colony ... and they agreed. The natives and the colonists became friends and they began to find ways to help each other.
Ruins of Jamestown, VA from Robert Sears, A Pictorial Description of the United States. 1854. Public Domain. (burned down in the Civil War)
While the Native Americans taught the Jamestown colonists to farm, hunt, and prepare food, the colonists brought blankets, guns, and alcohol to the natives. Soon Jamestown Colony began to grow as more people came over from England. Eventually, they decided they needed a governor. John Smith was elected to serve as the first governor of Jamestown in 1608.
By 1609 John Smith was replaced, due to financial reasons, and he left for England.
This is how Jamestown Colony was founded.
