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Powhatan Indians in the 17th Century

Who Were the Powhatan Indians and How Did They Live?
Learn about the Powhatan society and their way of life on the coastal plain of Virginia.

Paspahegh Town
Explore the Powhatan way of life in a re-creation of Paspahegh Town.

Where Did the Powhatan Live?
Find out where the Powhatan people settled and established communities.

What was the Relationship Between the Powhatan and the English?
Discover the complex and often difficult relationship between the Powhatan and the English.

What Did the Powhatan Know About Europeans Before the English Landed?
Discover what was known and how this may have affected the relationship between the English and Powhatan people.

How Did the English and the Powhatan Communicate?
Learn how the English and Powhatan communicated and why this communication was important.

Primary Source: De Bry's “A weroan or great Lorde of Virginia”
Examine this image to learn about the clothing worn by the Powhatan paramount chiefdom.

Primary Source: De Bry's “The manner of making their boates”
Examine how Indigenous people in and around Tidewater Virginia, including the Powhatan, would have made canoes.

What happened to the Powhatan culture by the end of the 17th century?
Find out what became of the Powhatan chiefdom after the Anglo-Powhatan wars

Pocahontas
Learn more about Pocahontas, a daughter of the powerful Virginia Indian leader, Chief Powhatan.

Werowocomoco
Discover Werowocomoco, which was the seat of power of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom for many years.

Why did the English and Powhatan go to war in 1622?
Examine the factors that lead to conflict between the English and the Powhatan.

English and the establishment of Jamestown

A History of Jamestown
Learn more about the founding of America’s first colony by the English in 1607.

A Jamestown Timeline
Discover important events related to the English at Jamestown.

How Did the Virginia Company Deal With the Challenges of a New Colony?
What were some of the original plans for the Virginia Company of London’s new colony?

A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Six Sources
Fueled by growing dissatisfaction, a rebellion against the colonial government began in 1676.

John Smith
Learn about the life of John Smith before, during and after his travels to Virginia.

King James I
Find out about King James I of England’s role in the founding of Jamestown.

Religion at Jamestown
What do you think was the most widely practiced religion in the early 1600s in Jamestown?

West Central Africans in early Virginia

Who Were the Africans Who Came to Jamestown?
Learn the story of the first Africans brought to Jamestown.

What Was the Relationship between the Africans and the English in Early Virginia?
Learn about the rapport between West Central Africans and English in early Virginia.

African Images
Explore African images and artifacts from the Jamestown Settlement galleries.

Angelo
Read about the arrival and early experiences of the first enslaved West Central Africans brought to Virginia.

Primary Source: Alamandini’s “Blacksmithing”
Examine an early representation of blacksmithing in West Central Africa.

Primary Source: Alamandini’s “Portugese Priests Baptizing Africans”
Learn about the spread of Christianity amongst West Central Africans.

Primary Source: Alamandini’s “Woman Hoeing”
Learn about West Central African culture and the Ndongo environment in the 17th century.

Three Converging Cultures

Cultural Intermediaries In Early Virginia
Discover the members of the English and Powhatan communities who helped bridge cultural divides.

The American Revolution, events and documents

In the Name of Liberty
“Learn more about little known persons impacted by the American Revolution.

Women of the American Revolution
Learn about the strong, determined women who supported the American Revolution.

How Revolutionary are You?
What do you have in common with people of the American Revolution? Find out in this quiz.

How Did the French Alliance Help Win American Independence?
How did the alliance between France and the first colony aid in gaining freedom?

Yorktown and American Independence
See how the allied victory at Yorktown won American independence.

What factors finally pushed the Second Continental Congress to declare independence in July 1776?
What events led to the ultimate declaration of independence in 1776?

African-Americans during the American Revolution

African American Cultural Heritage
Explore African American heritage from 1619 to the Revolutionary War.

African Americans and the American Revolution
By 1783, thousands of Black Americans had become involved in the war. Find out how.

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