Library of Virginia
Virginia Memory: James I
What connection did King James I have with Virginia? In 1606, James authorized the Virginia Company of London to found the Jamestown colony. The English successfully settled in Virginia, planting the foundation of Great Britain's...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Britain in the New World: War and Peace With Powhatan's People
Read about how Powhatan and his tribe initially helped the English settlers in Jamestown, but ultimately went to war. Find out about why the different views about land ownership exacerbated the tension between the two cultures.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Britain in the New World: Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown, although not a financial sucess, was the first succesful English colony in North America. Find out how the colony was financed, what the first colonists hoped to find, how the colony was governed, and the hardships that were...
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Letter Writing in America
Article from the National Postal Museum on letter writing in America and how it became important as a tie between people exploring or settling in the new world and the sponsors or loved ones they left behind. With primary source material.
Other
Jamestown Rediscovery: Virginia Company of Jamestown
The Virginia Company was given the responsibility for developing a settlement in the new world. This site introduces and details the work of the Virginia Company.
Other
A History of Jamestown, Virginia
A comprehensive history of the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. Includes a very nice timeline and historical background.
Other
Encyclopedia Virginia: Christopher Newport
Biographical information about English explorer, Christopher Newport, who commanded the first fleet sent by the Virginia Company to America, and who helped the colonists found Jamestown colony. A timeline outlines his active sailing career.
Read Works
Read Works: Time Travel to Jamestown
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about visiting a realistic English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Teaching History: Jamestown: The Starving Time
This lesson provides a great opportunity for students to engage in real historical inquiry with prepared sources. The lesson is displayed in three locations on the site: the student view, which guides the student through the activity;...
Other
Acton Boxborough School Dist.: Powhatan Indian Village
This site has photos of a replica of a Powhatan village, as well as information about the Powhatan way of life, style of dress, farming practices and more.
The History Cat
The History Cat: History of Colonial America: Jamestown Colony
Describes the struggles of the Jamestown Colony to survive in its first years. Many died from disease and starvation, and things only began to turn when the colonists started to grow tobacco. The use of indentured servants and later,...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Pocahontas: Her Life and Legend
Discover the legend of Indian princess Pocahontas and her relationships with Captain John Smith and John Rolfe in this story from the National Park Service.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Jamestown Changes
This cross-curricular lesson plan guides students to compare primary documents from Jamestown, Virginia to find the changes in life during the first few years of the settlement. This is an excellent plan that provides a link to an...
US Mint
U.s. Mint: Jamestown Challenge
Sail to the New World, and take the interactive, story quiz on the first permanent English settlement.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Britain in the New World: The Growth of the Tobacco Trade
Many colonists came to Jamestown to find gold. Read about what finally brought money into the colony, and what John Rolfe's role was in that. Read about who the workers were who provided the labor for this new money source.
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts: Grade 7: Written in Bone
This unit focuses on learning the stories of our past. Students will explore various texts (literary and informational) and their unique perspectives on history to consider how different experiences offer a different historical...
A&E Television
History.com: The Native American Chief Who Drove Out Spanish Colonists and Nearly Expelled the English
In the summer of 1561, Spanish explorers abducted Opechancanough, a Powhatan Indian youth from the Chesapeake Bay tidewater region and brought him to the royal court of Spain. The kidnapping set off a chain of events that would alter the...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Jamestown
This site provides information about the founding and development of the settlement at Jamestown.
Open Door Team
Open Door Web Site: First British Colony: Virginia
Here is a brief, to-the-point account of the settlement at Jamestown and its ultimate success.
Other
Lehigh University Digital Library: Pocahontas Time Line
Features a timeline on the life of Native American Pocahontas and other pertinent information relating to her story.
Other
Virtual Jamestown: Occupations of the New World
This is a chart of the many occupations in Jamestown at the beginning of the 17th century. Includes how many people for each occupation and when they arrived in America.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Death at Jamestown: What Really Happened at Jamestown?
Explore scientific methods for evaluating historical events by investigating four reasons behind the mysterious deaths that occurred in the early days of the colony of Jamestown.
Curated OER
National Park Service: John Rolfe
The National Park Service provides basic biographical facts on John Rolfe whose experiments with tobacco planting provided a profit for the Jamestown colony.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Captain John Smith
Biographical detail on American hero, John Smith, who was a leader of the Jamestown Colony.