Jamestown: England Dreams of a New Colony

Jamestown: England Dreams of a New Colony

Over one hundred years after Christopher Columbus landed in the New World, the English King James created two companies of merchants establish a new colony there. These companies were called the London Company and the Plymouth Company. The London Company, later known as the Virginia Company, was the first to make the voyage that was commanded by a famous sea captain named Christopher Newport. They set sail in December 1606, with three small ships and a hundred and five people including carpenters, blacksmiths, barbers, and masons to help build the colony and set up trade when they arrived in America.

The voyage was long and difficult. 'When the first colonist reached the New World they arrived at Chesapeake Bay and named each side of the bay Cape Henry and Cape Charles for the King's two sons. Out of the Bay was a great river that they named after King James. The London Company had permission to start a colony that was 100 square miles near the northern shore. So they followed the river about 30 miles inland where they built Jamestown. To make it a real town, they were given permission to make money, enter trade, and enforce laws under the King. They soon built tents and began to make stronger buildings.

It was not long before the people in the colony were suffering. First they became hungry. They arrived too late in the year to plant crops and it was difficult to find clear, flat land. Everyone was given food rations from the food that they brought from England, but some of the food had become rotten. The people then became sick with fever. By September, only nine months after they left England, about half the people were dead and to make matters worse, a few months later, a fire destroyed the little town. Some people think that they all would have died if it were not for a young man named John Smith.

John Smith was a hero. He became the governor of Jamestown. He traded for corn with the natives to save the people in the colony from starving to death. He was motivated the men to build better buildings and roads. This work helped to build the future of Jamestown. In the winter of 1608-o9 more people died and by January 1609 only 38 people were still alive. Soon, Captain Newport returned from a voyage with food, supplies, and one 120 new colonists. More colonists arrived and the population of Jamestown rose to 500 however, John Smith was forced to return to England due to a serious injury.

Later in 1609 a new charter was made which granted Jamestown permission to expand its territory and a new governor, Lord Delaware, was appointed for Virginia. He left England with nine ships full of supplies, and more than 500 men and women but, sadly, they got caught in a storm and were delayed in Bermuda for many months. This, and the fact that trading with the native people had ended, caused the people in the colony to run out of food and begin the "Starving Time." A year later, only sixty people were alive. When they thought all hope was lost, Lord Delaware arrived with his nine ships.