The Jamestown Colony

The colony suffered from constant contention - the Gentlemen refused to perform manual labor, the communal organization of the colony provided little motivation for anyone to work hard, the governing council bickered and undermined each other, the settlers alienated the neighboring Native Americans, some colonists abandoned the settlement, and a few tried to steal ships to return to England. Not a great start!

The Jamestown colony was marked by wrong priorities. The Virginia Company focused on profits and kept sending ships packed with colonists instead of desperately needed supplies. The colonists suffered from disease but refused to move the settlement away from a swamp. They also had a food shortage but were so busy chasing riches that they didn't prioritize planting crops. They then found themselves starving through the winter and resorted to cannibalism to survive. Warning: Discussion of cannibalism

As word began to leak about the nightmare taking place in Jamestown, the Virginia Company tried to salvage its sinking reputation. A new and competent governor finally arrived at the colony and brought order to the chaos. However, he also kidnapped Pocahontas, and she ultimately helped bring peace between the Native Americans and the settlers. A few years later the colony began to enjoy some prosperity and to create the first representative assembly in North America.

The colonies in Jamestown and Plymouth were both comprised of courageous seventeenth-century English Protestants and who set out to establish colonies in an unknown wilderness. After a time of great hardship and suffering, both colonies began to succeed and grow. Most importantly, both colonies have left important political and spiritual legacies which still impact us today. Let us learn from their successes and failures.