Jamestown

A detailed Summary of Jamestown

The story of Jamestown was one of America's first documented mysteries. There are clear facts about this voyage that have been documented. In 1587, John White did make a temporary establishment on or near Roanoke Island, and that after leaving for three years did return to the island in 1590. On his return, all traces of the colonist having lived there for those three years had vanished. No Jamestown colonist is known to be seen from again. So what happened to them during those three years?

Jamestown, which was led by Governor John White, landed on Roanoke Island between April and late July 1587 and was a royal grantee of Sir Walter Raleigh. Jamestown was a small, self-supporting community that was suppose to be protected by the Chesapeake Indians who were know to help English visitors. The colony was made up mostly of people on the middle to lower social and economic ladder. These people were willing to work for a living, farming or do crafts to form an English society on American soil. Each colonist was in turn given 500 acres for their trouble.

150 persons intended to start the voyage to America in the spring but because of financial troubles only 118 were finally able to set sail. The voyage was an unhappy

Summer was ending and it was getting late in the year to establish a new settlement. They would have to make the supplies they had last all winter up to the following summer, which meant they would have to depend on the Indians for more surpluses. On top of all that, the Indians had become hostile to the last English settlers that tried to set up a new settlement.

In 1701 the last recorded sighting of the group awaiting White's return were made. Some Indians in the Hatteras area were thought to be of a mix ancestry, these people had features and traditions of a mix of English and Indian ancestry. If these Indians were from White's group is not for certain because many ships have wrecked in that area and survivors could have taken up refuge with the Indians.

In the spring of 1588 the colonist most likely planted gardens as well as corn, beans, and tobacco which was obtained by the Indians. Increasingly they would lack European amenities such as cooking utensils, iron, and metal objects. But their hopes were high that White would appear with a fresh set of supplies.

White made it clear in his narrative that they did not try to sail to Croataon because the water had become so rough that the anchor cables were no longer adequate to hold the ships. The "Hopewell" was driven south and eventually lost three of its four anchors and had to return to England. The "Moonlight" and White steered ahead and on Oct. 24, 1590 landed of Plymouth.

After this White wrote as one who had given up all hope of seeing his family again, he could only commit them to God's mercies and leave it at that. The sadness of this letter have remained his testament from its publication in the new "Principal Navigations" in 1600 to this day. For White the colony was lost indeed.

On the other hand how long did the men awaiting Whites return stay on Roanoke Island? Old Frame houses and a commanding building had been on the island from an earlier trip in 1585 and were restored by the colonist along with an enclosure and a main entrance. This construction of the palisade involved considerable labor and must have taken some time to build. So from this most assume that the English men lived fairly conformably on the island, surviving the winter without any serious loss. This can not be established but the solidity of the barrier they build suggests it. These men expected White anytime after Easter and probably grew impatient, so there is no assurance that they stayed on the island any time after June 1588.

There are only two pieces of evidence throughout the Outer Banks between 1587-1590 of the Jamestown colonist. The first was the landing of an Irish captain, William, most likely in August of 1587. Sir George Carey, a probable backer of White's expedition, governor of Isle of Wright, had sent the privateer, "Swallowe", out of its way to check on the colonist. It was on its way back to Ireland when it stopped to look for the Roanoke settlers. The Irish reported finding a stray mule and stray cattle, but no people. The Irish did try to establish contact with the colonist, but at what specific point along the Outer Banks is in question.

The Hardships for White at sea were no less. He had to leave his family, his colonist and the fate of the whole enterprise in other hands. His return trip to England was no easy thing either, the weather was bad and he had to land in Ireland instead of England. White returned to Southampton six months after his departure from Roanoke.

Manteo and Towaya were two Indians that accompanied the settlers and gave them advice. Manteo was the colony's most important advisor to the new land. His community was located on the Croatoan Island.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2758
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History