Jamestown

Introduction…

Hi! I’m Miss Holly.

Welcome to Level 5 Social Studies!

Today you will learn about the Jamestown colony and Pocahontas.

How did the first colony originated in Jamestown,

Virginia, in 1607?

On December 19, 1606, three small ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, sailed from England.

They were carrying the Jamestown, Virginia settlers, including Capt. John Smith.

Jamestown was founded on May 14, 1607, by this small group of English settlers.

Jamestown was located on an island in the James River in what is now Virginia.

What was the role John Smith played in the

founding of Jamestown?

Leader of Jamestown, Smith was one of 105 settlers who sailed from England on December 19, 1606, and landed in Virginia on April 26, 1607.

Smith was the colony's leader and also led hunting and exploration expeditions around the area.

On one trip that year, Smith was taken captive by the Chief of the Powhatan Indians and was condemned to death.

Pocahontas, the 13-year-old daughter of the Indian chief, saved Smith's life by begging her father to spare him.

What was the period known as the “Starving Time”?

After the first winter, most of the settlers had died of starvation or disease.

Starvation is dying because of not having food to eat.

Disease causes someone to become very sick.

After that disastrous first year, Smith imposed an order by forcing everyone to work.

What were the major reasons for the survival of the Jamestown

economy?

Land ownership was one major reason for the survival of the Jamestown economy.

Collective land-holding arrangements of the colony ended the people’s energy and discouraged the sort of hard work the colony needed.

The collective land-holding arrangement of the colony was where everyone worked together and shared the food they raised.

Why should a man knock himself out in the fields when he received no more food or compensation than the slacker barely working next to him?

Growing tobacco crops was another major reason for the survival of the Jamestown economy.

What is the legend and history of Pocahontas and

John Rolfe? 

Pocahontas or Matoaka, (1595-1617), often came to Jamestown as an emissary of her father, the Chief of the Powhatan Indians.

An emissary is someone who is sent on a mission to represent another.

She sometimes brought gifts of food to help the poor, hard-pressed, settlers.

She befriended, or became friends with the settlers and became acquainted with, or came to know, English ways. 

John Rolfe also arrived in Jamestown in 1610 and two years later cultivated, or grew, the first tobacco there.

He introduced a successful source of livelihood that would have far-reaching importance for Virginia - tobacco.

What were Pocahontas’ and John Rolfe’s roles in the clashes between Native Americans?

Relations with the Powhatan Native Americans deteriorated – or got worse. 

In the spring of 1613, an English captain took Pocahontas hostage, hoping to use her to negotiate a permanent peace treaty with her father. 

A hostage is a person held captive as a pledge that promises will be kept or terms met by another. 

Powhatan eventually agreed to the terms for her release, but by then she had fallen in love with John Rolfe. 

On April 5, 1614, Pocahontas and John Rolfe married. 

Their marriage brought a peace between the English colonists and the Powhatans.

Let’s watch a video clip to summarize Pocahontas and John Rolfe’s role in the relationship between the colonists and the Powhatans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BRuQ3glx3Q

In conclusion…

Jamestown was the first permanent colony in America. John Smith, Pocahontas, and John Rolfe played important roles in its success. In addition, land ownership and growing tobacco helped to keep Jamestown in existence.

Extension activities..

• First, write down two or three things you learned from watching this presentation. Write as much about it as you can.

• Second, complete the handout, Pocahontas. Read the passage and answer the five questions.

See you next time!

Good bye.

References• http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/jamestowndef.htm

• Economy in Jamestown. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.shmoop.com/jamestown/economy.html

• John Smith. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/s/smith.shtml

• Newport, Christopher. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexn.shtml

• Pocahontas marries John Rolfe. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pocahontas-marries-john-rolfe

• Emissary. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=emissary

• Hostage. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=hostage