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Jamestown becomes the first permanent English colony in 1607 by the Virginia Company. -
The series of events that occur in the colony of Jamestown.
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When Jamestown was first established in West Virginia, the winter that followed would make its inhabitants suffer terrible consequences. Food shortages and Natives killed two out of three colonists. When spring arrived, only 61 people survived out of the ~500 people that first arrived. -
John Rolfe, one of the first English settlers, is credited with the introduction of tobacco in the Virginia colony. He establishes a plantation on the James River and marries the legend Pocahontas. -
Jamestown begins to thrive as it relies on the economic opportunity that is tobacco. Tobacco becomes a major export staple in Virginia, with plantations found in every neighbor's yard and land. -
Jamestown is also known for becoming the first colony in North America to establish its own government, which was known as the Virginia House of Burgesses. The first session of the first colonial legislative assembly was held at Jamestown. -
The introduction of slavery begins in the colonies, as twenty African slaves arrive on a Dutch ship to Jamestown. These slaves were kidnapped by the Portuguese and then sold to English colonists. -
An Indian uprising killed a third of the New English population, and for Jamestown, 347 of its colonists. Infamously known as the Jamestown Massacre, the Natives attacked the inhabitants because they believed that the colonists intended to expand their land, threatening the life of the Indians. -
Many wars occurred between the Americans and the Natives. Another uprising killed around 500 Europeans. These colonists belong to the regions that surrounded Jamestown. There is a chance that none of its inhabitants, however, were affected. This was not uncommon for them though, since their land was on Native American territory. -
Fire that was supposedly started by a prisoner in a nearby prison struck the fourth Jamestown State House (Ludwell State House Complex) and ultimately burnt it to ashes. This terrible event resulted in Jamestown moving to the capitol of Williamsburg. -
After the fire of Jamestown in 1698, the government decided to move the colony to Williamsburg, where it became the new capital of Virginia. This ultimately ends the old colony of Jamestown (now known as Jamestowne). Now, the pieces of history remains in Williamsburg, which is shown in the photo below.