Jamestown, the first successful European colony in the Americas, “is known for inaugurating the great American struggles over democracy (the colony established English America’s first representative government) and slavery (it was the first English colony to use captured Africans).

the General Assembly

In 1699, the government and capital were moved from Jamestown to Middle Plantation, renamed Williamsburg. People continued to live on Jamestown Island and owned farm lands, but it ceased to be a town. Jamestown Narratives: Eyewitness Accounts of the Virginia Colony: The First Decade: 1607-1617.

When did the voyage to Jamestown begin and how long did it take? Three ships left London on December 20, 1606. The ships sighted the land of Virginia and landed at Cape Henry (Virginia Beach today) on April 26, 1607. The voyage lasted 144 days, approximately four and a half months.

Jamestown was intended to become the core of a long-term settlement effort, creating new wealth for the London investors and recreating English society in North America. The colonists arrived at Jamestown after a 4-month journey from London.

How was Jamestown saved from failure? It was saved from failure by the new governor John Smith, who made all of the settlers work and said “who shall not work, shall not eat” He also became friends with the natives and taught them different techniques.

Why did Roanoke colony fail? It was, like later English colonies, poorly supplied, and the first colonists were actively hostile toward local Native people. This lack of allies would have made survival as an autonomous community especially difficult—surviving as distinctly Englishmen and women may have been impossible.

Finally and perhaps crucially the Tiger which had the supplies onboard was ruined meaning that the colonists had a lack of supplies. Secondly, the colonists themselves are to blame for the failure in Virginia. When Raleigh had recruited them he had recruited a poor mix of people with the wrong skills.

Tomasyn Cooper

1590