Jamestown: A Story of Success and Failure

I. The People

            A. Too many gentlemen

                        1. They were not experienced with physical labor

                        2. Many refused to work

                        3. Many only wanted their servants to look for gold

            B) No farmers

            C) Many laborers

                        1. Many wanted to look for gold instead of work

                        2. Some didn’t work hard because of a lack of personal property

II. Relationship with the Natives

            A) Built a fort for protection

            B) Used violence to intimidate Natives

            C) Made some attempts at peace with Natives

            D) Always under a threat of an attack from Natives

III. Captain John Smith

            A) Arrested for mutiny on the voyage to Virginia

            B) Military and leadership skills help colony survive

            C) Captured, almost executed by Natives

            D) Gave gentlemen a choice: work or starve

            E) Left Jamestown in 1608

IV.Food

            A) Settlers had little food

            B) Many settlers died from disease or starvation

            C) Relied on trade with Natives for food

            D) Attacked and stole food from Natives

            E) Starving Time

                        1. Took place from October 1609 to March 1610

2. Natives refuse to trade with Settlers

                        3. 440 of 500 colonists died

V. Tobacco

            A) The Good

1. Natives taught settlers to grow, cure and smoke tobacco

                        2. Traders introduce the tobacco to Europeans

                        3. Europeans buy tobacco from settlers

                        4. Colony becomes profitable

            B) The Bad

                        1. Tobacco farms create a need for cheap labor.      

                                   a) Captured Africans become enslaved.

                                   b) Generations of slavery result in part because of tobacco

                        2. Tobacco-related deaths still plague the modern world

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