Historic Jamestown

In June 1606, King James I of England issued a charter to the Virginia Company of London to explore and eventually colonize a region in North America. Hoping to discover gold and enabling colonists to become rich quickly, all was forgotten as the new Englishmen sailed across the Atlantic in three distinct vessels: Discovery, Susan Constant, and Godspeed. In late May 1607,  the colonists landed near the James River, naming the spot Jamestown after King James I. Fortifications were erected to ward off attacks from the Spanish and Native Americans living in the region—specifically, the Powhatan tribe. Diseases such as malaria coupled with food shortages contributed to an alarmingly low survival rate; this can be witnessed during the Starving Time of 1609-10 in which 80% of the population perished. There was even one case of cannibalism in which a man ate his wife in order to stay alive. 

Conditions improved when John Smith became the leader of Jamestown, issuing his famous decree that if people did not work, they would receive no food. In other words, each person had to be an active participant for Jamestown to survive as a colony.  Initially, Jamestown struggled to become profitable, but after John Rolfe experimented with tobacco in 1614 and determined that Virginia was a suitable climate in which to grow it, England’s demand for the cash crop almost skyrocketed overnight! With the introduction of tobacco, Jamestown was soon a thriving colony. However, its one-crop based economy would experience immense fluctuations, especially during Bacon’s Rebellion in which tobacco prices declined sharply and rapidly. 

                 

When visiting Jamestown, I had the spectacular opportunity of touring all three ships, and to my astonishment, these were exact replicas of the ships, which were used to transport the original colonists. Furthermore, these ships actually worked, and one of the staff mentioned that they routinely take the ships out to sail them along the James River. One item that was quite compelling is that the ships did not contain any seats for the colonists, which I found quite odd. Therefore, I wonder if the colonists were confined to their beds, or if the replicas did not have seats for a specific reason. Sleeping quarters on the ship were quite cramped, and under such conditions, one could imagine the spreading of germs and diseases and how rampant they must have been. Additionally, each bed contained a curtain to maintain one’s privacy, though the beds were scarcely wide enough for one to adequately alter positions when sleeping without worrying about falling to the floor.

Becky, Alice, and I in front of the Armory trying on helmets.

I also visited the Armory and learned what type of armor was available to the English to defend themselves from Indian attacks. A very knowledgeable staff member allowed me to try on a helmet (without padding) as well as a breast plate all manufactured from metal. A common weapon that I learned that was used in close-combat fighting was a halberd—a multi-purpose tool capable of slicing through armor. This weapon contained an axe as well as a sphere, which could be quite deadly without armor covering the entire body. 

The historic portion of Jamestown was quite disappointing as widespread inaccessibility prevented me from understanding various archeological discoveries over the last several years. There was a museum with tons of artifacts behind glass without any audio describing what they were or used for. In the future, I would like to see this part improved to include either a Braille guide explaining the artifacts or an App on an IPhone or similar device.

Jamestown is important in that it was the first permanent English settlement in North America. America as a whole developed around Jamestown, and without it, America would not exist as it does today. Preserving such history is vital so that Americans can better understand their heritage as well as the difficulties that the colonists struggled with and overcame.