Jamestown Virtual Colony

English Society in the New World

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The Set:

Specific Objective:

Students will be able to:

  1. Identify the different social classes that came to Jamestown.
  2. Analyze primary historic documents for content.
  3. Compile a list of the skills of each colonist:
  4. Evaluate the appropriateness of each type of labor class for the establishment of a colony based upon:

Relevance:

Jamestown was a the first truly large scale commitment by the English to establish a permanent colony in the New World. The individuals who made this trip were leaving everything they knew behind to set up a new life in what was to them a strange foreign land. This lesson examines who these people were, why would they go to such a place and how they were unprepared for what they would find there. It will also give the student an opportunity to state how they would have prepared given the same resources.

In 1607, 105 settlers set out to establish a colony in a new land known as Virginia. Their purpose was to generate corporate profit in a land that had already claimed several previous colonization efforts. The most notable of these was the ill fated colony of Sir Walter Raleigh at Roanoke, in what is now North Carolina. It vanished without a trace in 1589. No other colonization attempts were made until Jamestown was established seventeen years later.

Colonization was a tough business. A common problem for all the European colonies in North America was a shortage of the necessities of life; shelter and food. Another problem were the native diseases that killed or weakened many of the new colonists. Despite these hardships, people kept coming because of money. The Spanish were building an empire from the wealth of their New World Colonies. Entire fleets loaded with gold, silver and precious stones were moving between the New World and Spain. The English government wanted this empire and the English businessmen wanted the wealth. Money, particularly gold, was a primary reason for establishing the colony.

Involvement of the Learner:
Teacher will ask the students how they think they might prepare themselves to take part in an expedition to live in Alaska, central Africa or a remote desert island. What kind of people would they want to go with and what skills would they want them to have? How would they prepare themselves? With these ideas in mind, examine the following documents to understand what type of individuals it took to make a colony succeed in the New World.

Procedures:

Purpose: This is a two part lesson. First the students will analyze two documents. Second, the students will analyze the information gathered from these documents by taking part in a group discussion.

Using an historical document and a reproduction of a passenger list, this exercise will graphically demonstrate to the student:

After analyzing these two documents, the students will evaluate the preparation and staffing of the initial Jamestown Colony, problems they have identified from their readings and conduct a group discussion moderated by the teacher.

Activity:

Early Settlers at Jamestown

Examine the types of occupations given on this passenger list. Have the students develop a working definition for each of the following four (4)categories. Arrange a list of the occupations from the passenger list each of the categories:

  1. Leaders:
  2. Skilled Labor
  3. Manual Labor:
  4. Security:

This can be done using one of the following media: blackboard, overhead or individual worksheets (attached). Work Sheet

Instructions for the Virginia Colony

First Virginia Charter

The following questions for critical thinking should be provided to the students while reading the Instructions for the Virginia Colony and the First Virginia Charter:

  1. Who do you think wrote these documents?
  2. Identify several points that you believe are useful instructions.
  3. If you were part of the expedition about to leave for the New World, list several of your reactions based upon your beliefs about these instructions.

Group Discussion:

The goals for this discussion can be varied. In general, however, the following questions should be explored.

These questions can be presented through any of the following media: blackboard, overhead or individual handouts, but should be made available for reference during the discussion.

  1. "How much do you think they accomplished with so little amount of skilled labor?"
  2. "How well did the leadership of the colony function?
  3. "What kind of preparation should the colonists have had with regard to training, health and organization?"
  4. "Given what you know now, how would you have prepared given the same resources?"
  5. "How would you recruit individuals to work for you to set up a colony in a strange land?"

Activity/Practice:

Description: Have the students imagine themselves in the role of one of the settlers leaving for Jamestown. They may choose the role of either a gentleman, a skilled laborer / artisan or a soldier. The students should compose a letter to a loved one who they will be leaving behind in England. Discuss in this letter why they are leaving, what they expect to find in the New World and when they expect to see this person again, if ever.

Closure:

  1. "What do you believe was the basis for selecting individuals to come to Jamestown?"
  2. "What types of labor do you think should have been sent to Jamestown and in what quantities?"
  3. "How many men would have been enough to succeed in the first settlement?"
  4. "Do you think this settlement could have succeeded as a profitable colony? In what way?"

Resources:

Internet Addresses / Links for course materials:

  1. http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/~pha4b/jtpassengers.html
  2. http://www.law.uoknor.edu/hist/vchart1.html
  3. http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/

Bibliography: (The following are listed for additional reference)

  1. Coldham, Peter Wilson, (1987). The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1660. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD.
  2. Billings, Warren M., Selby, John E., & Tate, Thad W., (1987). Colonial Virginia. KTO Press, White Plains, NY.
  3. Hatch, Charles E., Jr. (1957). The First Seventeen Years, Virginia, 1607-1624. UVA Press, Charlottesville, VA.

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