Where in Virginia did the English settle?

Who were the English settlers and where did they come from? In what parts of Virginia did they settle?

Why did they go there to make their new homes?

The English came across the Atlantic Ocean to settle at Jamestown, in the Tidewater region. They arrived in May of 1607.

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

ENGLAND

VIRGINIA

The English came to Jamestown on three ships, the Godspeed, the

Discovery, and the Susan Constant.

The English started the

town of Jamestown, on

the James River, in Virginia’s Tidewater

region.Jamestown

Tidewater

Jamestown settler with musket

The English settled at the mouth of the James River

because it was rich in natural resources.

animals to hunt for food fish to catch for food

forests for timber to build shellfish in the ocean to eat

The English settled at the mouth of the James River because it had

a good harbor.

harbor

harbor

The English settled at the mouth of the James River, because the area was easy to defend.

At first, they thought they would have to defend against Spanish

attack, but they soon found that the Indians were far more dangerous.

the fort

This is the seal of the Virginia Company of London. The Virginia Company started Jamestown to make money for its investors.

This is an original picture of John Smith. He was the governor of

Jamestown who made the rule: if you don’t work, you don’t eat.

Everybody started doing his fair share of the work, then!

The English built a triangle-shaped fort at Jamestown, to defend themselves from Indian attacks.

These fragments of pottery were dug up at Jamestown. They were actually used by the English settlers in the 1600s … almost 400 years ago!

The English built their houses and this church from wood and mud.

They made roofs of grass and

reeds, like this house in England.