Jamestown Essays, Timelines & Images
Choose essays, timelines & images from our large selection of Jamestown-related topics below.
Essays
Cultures
- Cultures at Jamestown – Explore the interactions of three cultures that came together in 17th-century Virginia.
- Life at Jamestown – Discover what life was like for the English settlers as they tried to make their way in their new Virginia home.
- Powhatan Indian World – Learn about what life was like for the Powhatan Indians living in Virginia in the early 17th century.
- Werowocomoco – Explore the Powhatan center of power and its significance to American Indian history.
- The Angolan Connection and Slavery in Virginia – Learn about the first Africans to arrive in Virginia and the subsequent evolution of slavery.
- Life in England – Find out what kind of life the Jamestown settlers had before moving to Jamestown.
- Religion at Jamestown – Learn about religion in 17th-century England and its migration to Virginia with the Jamestown colonists.
- Women in Early Virginia – They were slow to arrive in Virginia, but played crucial roles in the history of Jamestown. Learn about the first English women in Virginia.
- Pocahontas and the Powhatan Indians of Virginia – Who was the real Pocahontas? What was life like for her people, the Powhatan Indians of Virginia? Discover these answers and so much more!
- Cultural Intermediaries in Early Virginia – Both English and Powhatan boys were sent to live with the other culture. Learn about the lives of these 17th-century “exchange students”.
- Powhatan Identity in late 17th-Century Virginia – Explore what happened to the Powhatan culture by the end of the 17th century.
- Christmas in 17th-century England and Virginia – Christmas was a special time of year in England and Virginia in the 17th century. Explore the festivities and traditions of the time period.
Biographies
- Pocahontas – Who was the real Pocahontas? Learn about her life with the Powhatan and the English.
- Angela – Who was Angela of Ndongo? Find out what her life was like before she began her Jamestown story.
- Henry Spelman – Young Henry left his home in England to live in Virginia. Imagine his surprise when he is soon left to live with the Powhatan!
- John Smith – Get to know this famous adventurer and find out why he was so important to the Jamestown colony.
- The Life of John Smith – Find out what experiences made this brassy adventurer so successful at Jamestown and learn what became of John Smith after his Virginia adventure.
- Young Pocahontas – Learn what was life was like for Pocahontas as a girl and what happened when she met the English settlers.
Government and Leadership
- Life at Jamestown – Discover what life was like for the English settlers as they tried to make their way in their new Virginia home.
- Werowocomoco – Explore the Powhatan center of power and its significance to American Indian history.
- Company Charters and Challenges – Early charters outlined goals for the Jamestown colony. Explore the many obstacles to meeting these goals in Virginia.
- Expansion of Settlement in Early Virginia – Discover how quickly settlement in Virginia spread outside of the fort at Jamestown.
- The “Great Charter” and the First General Assembly – Explore how Virginia Company leaders wrote a charter to more effectively govern the people living in Virginia.
- Powhatan’s Challenge and Opechancanough’s Action – How did Powhatan leaders react to the arrival of English men in Virginia? Find out how these two Powhatan brothers responded.
- The Virginia Company of London – England’s first permanent colony in Virginia was not established by the government, but by a private business venture. Learn about how the Virginia Company of London financed the Jamestown colony.
- Roanoke’s Achievement – Explore the importance of this unsuccessful English colony to England’s colonization efforts.
Economy and Technology
- Tobacco and Labor – Tobacco was the cash crop that saved Jamestown, but it came with a price. Explore the labor systems established to support the growing tobacco industry at Jamestown.
- Early Industries in Virginia – What’s a colony to do without the discovery of gold and silver deposits? Discover the many industries attempted at Jamestown and learn why they failed.
- The Story of the Sea Venture – Find out how the voyage of the Sea Venture and its fleet of ships changed the history of Jamestown.
Timelines
- Jamestown Timeline – This timeline details important events in the establishment of the first permanent English settlement in America: Jamestown, Virginia.
- Jamestown Questions and Answers – What you’ve always wanted to know about Jamestown, in a nutshell!