Jamestown

Three ships left England in December of 1606. There were more than one hundred passengers on the ships. Most were upper class Englishmen. There were no women at all.

They came to the coast of Virginia in April of 1607. They wanted to find a good place to anchor the ship. They looked for a place that would be safe for them to live.

On May 14, 1607, they landed on Jamestown Island. The water was deep so they could get close to shore. They were sure the ship would be safe in the trees.

There were problems in Jamestown from the start. One group of Native Americans attacked the settlers shortly after they landed. There was disease. There was not enough food. Many settlers starved to death. There were more Native American attacks.

John Rolfe finally brought a few years of peace to Jamestown. He came to grow tobacco. He married Pocahontas, the daughter of a Native American Chief. The peace with the Native Americans did not last forever, but it was a start.