Destined to Travel
Jamestown's 400th Anniversary
By Bob Difley
The First English Settlement
If the first settlers to arrive along the James River in Virginia in 1607 had known what lay in store for them, chances are Jamestown would not have been a settlement of any kind, least of all the first permanent English settlement in the New World.
And had John Smith known how inexperienced, ill–equipped, and inept were the 105 settlers who had crowded onto the three small ships – the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery – in the fall of 1606, he might have jumped overboard and swam back to Merry Olde England.
Fortunately, the experienced former privateer, Christopher Newport, captain of the Susan Constant and in overall command of the three–boat fleet, knew his sailing lore and navigation and delivered most of them (one settler died enroute) safely and without incident.
Captain Newport followed the European coast south to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, where he picked up the predictable warm trade winds. He then turned right and ran before the steady following winds to the West Indies and up the New World coast to the Chesapeake Bay. The added 1,000 miles that this longer route followed was offset by favorable sailing conditions and established navigational aids.
As the inaugural event for the 400th Anniversary celebrations in 2007, and to publicize this historic event, a replica of the Godspeed has toured six East Coast ports – including New York City and Boston – between May and July 2006. The Godspeed hosted more than 456,000 people and brought the Jamestown story to life with historical and educational exhibits and activities. Visitors who attend America's Anniversary Weekend will enjoy the rare opportunity to see replicas of the Godspeed, Susan Constant and Discovery sail together along the James River, on May 12th.
The Jamestown Mission
To thoroughly appreciate the significance of the many 2007 observances, a little history of the area may be helpful.
A group of entrepreneurs from London, armed with a charter from King James, formed the Virginia Company to seek quick and easy riches in the New World. With a lust for gold imitated by the 49ers almost two and a half centuries later, they financed a group of settlers to establish a colony in Virginia to search for the precious metal and any other commodities that would provide a handsome return for the investors. Secondly, they were to discover a water route across the new continent to the Pacific Ocean, and possibly convert a few “savages” to the church and a "civilized" English way of life in the process.
Acutely aware and disgusted by the horrific treatment of the Aztecs and Mayans by the Spanish conquistadores, the Virginia Colony was instructed to win the natives over to English ways, "not by stormes of raging cruelties with rapiers point and musket shot, murdering so many millions of naked Indians, as their stories doe relate, but by faire and loving meanes, suiting to our English natures." The natives, being thus so enlightened, would then welcome the settlers with open arms onto their land.
Initially, the future colony followed the instructions of their benefactors, which included some suggestions on how to pick a site for their settlement, security measures, trading policies and avoiding conflict with either the "naturals" (as the Native Americans were called) or with their enemies, the Spanish. But they were not without their mistakes.
About half of the settlers came from the privileged classes, having been aristocrats or their troublesome offspring, who were sent to the New World to be kept out of trouble. These "dandies" were ill–suited for manual labor and believed that performing labor was beneath those with their bloodlines. They refused to work, preferring instead to wait for Captain Newport's ships to return with additional laborers, food and supplies. Their lassitude would lead the colony to miserable winters plagued with sickness, disease and starvation.
Compounding the inability and desire of many of the colonists to provide their own food was the poor location they chose for the establishment of James Towne. They followed instructions to choose an easily defendable site – the peninsula they selected, with deepwater access for their ships on the banks of the James River 60 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. However, it proved to be a swampy, humid, mosquito–infested lowland, with little – and often brackish – drinking water.
Captain John Smith
Although a world traveler having experience in dealing with diverse cultures, John Smith was actually a commoner, whom the blue bloods saw as a troublemaker, refusing to treat them with the deference they expected and felt they deserved. Smith recognized only a person's worth to the colony and spoke his mind in matters of defense, in dealing with the natives and on the necessities of survival.
The "betters" by now just wanted to return to England, not having found quick and easy riches. Twice arrested for mutiny and rebellion, Smith was saved once by Captain Newport's timely arrival back from England on the eve Smith was scheduled to be hanged.
Smith, however, was the only one who could deal effectively with Chief Powhatan, the most powerful chief in a kingdom that extended from the Chesapeake Bay to the mountains, and south to the present Virginia/North Carolina border. His ability to treat Powhatan and his warriors kindly but always keeping them fearful of his power and weaponry kept the Powhatans from wiping them off Indian lands for good. The relationship between the settlers and the Powhatan Algonquians swung like a pendulum between friendly trade and squabbling enemies.
Smith seemed to lead a charmed life, guarded by some mysterious protector. Several times when threatened by Powhatan, and held prisoner in his village, Smith was saved or helped to escape by Pocahontas, the chief's favorite daughter who, as a 13–year–old on the cusp of womanhood, took a liking – or at least a curious interest – in the bearded white chief.
Finally, after several failures and dismal performance by the aristocratic leaders of the colony, Smith was elected to the presidency of Jamestown and immediately instigated demands on the settlers to plant crops, learn to shoot, hunt and fight, and established the policy that if you didn't work, you didn't eat.
A Bleak Chapter
The winter following Smith's departure in 1609 descended into a period of warfare between the colonists and the Indians and became known as the "starving time," as many died from disease and starvation. Just when the colony's remaining population – which had dropped to about 60 from the total of 214 who had arrived at Jamestown – had decided to call it quits, more settlers and lifesaving food and supplies arrived from England, and the colonists agreed to give it one more go.
The ultimate tipping point for the colony came in 1619, when John Rolfe (who later married Chief Powhatan's daughter, Pocahontas) decided to plant tobacco, which would become the colony's big cash crop. But tobacco farming required vast amounts of land, which the farmers took away from the Powhatans, and lots of labor. This stimulated the use of slave labor which, by mid–century, would replace the indentured–servant labor pool of the colony.
Ironically, as the repressive use of slaves grew through the colony, settlers wanting more input on rules governing them formed the first representative government in the British Empire, with the establishment of the General Assembly in 1619 at Jamestown Church. This became the first example of a democracy in the New World.
Jamestown continued to be the center of Virginia's social, business and political life until the government moved to Williamsburg in 1699.
The 400th Celebration
At Jamestown Settlement, America's first English settlement comes alive with expanded outdoor living–history programs, a new film and new permanent exhibition galleries filled with more than 500 artifacts, three–dimensional life–size structures, a palisaded fort representing the colonists' first home and audio and small–theater presentations. At the re–created Powhatan Village, history interpreters discuss and demonstrate the ways of Powhatan life; how they cultivated crops, prepared meals, hunted, processed animal hides and made pottery, rope and tools. Visitors can also try on armor, grind corn and experience first–hand many of the activities of the 17th–century Indians and colonists.
Replicas of the Godspeed, Susan Constant and Discovery, the ships that transported the first colonists, are docked at the riverfront, where you can learn of the vital role the James River and other waterways played in the travel, culture and commerce of the Indians and colonists. Special events celebrating America's 400th Anniversary will take place across Virginia.
This article courtesy of Camperways
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For More Information
America's Anniversary
(866) 400–1607
www.Americas400thAnniversary.com
Obtain a schedule of events for America's Anniversary Week–end (May 11–13) and the many other Virginia events, as well as Anniversary ticket purchases. Ticket includes admission to Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement and Anniversary Park, as well as bus travel to, from and between the sites.
Historic Jamestowne
www.historicjamestowne.org
Managed jointly by the Association to Preserve Virginia Antiquities (APVA) and the National Park Service (NPS)
A living history museum, administered by the Jamestown–Yorktown Foundation, an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is located on Route 31 South at the Colonial Parkway, six miles from Williamsburg, next to Historic Jamestowne.
(888) 593–4682
www.historyisfun.org
American Heritage RV Park
146 Maxton Lane
Williamsburg, VA 23188
(757) 566–2133
www.americanheritagervpark.com
Anvil Campground
5243 Mooretown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23188
(800) 633–4442, (757) 565–2300
www.anvilcampground.com
Bethpage Camp–Resort
P.O. Box 178
Urbanna, VA 23175
(804) 758–4349
www.bethpagecamp.com
Williamsburg KOA Resorts
4000 Newman Road
Williamsburg, VA 23188
(757) 565–2734
Reservations (800) KOA–1733
www.williamsburgkoa.com
Please consult your 2007 Woodall's North American Campground Directory for a complete listing of campgrounds along your route.
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