After the failure to successfully establish a colony on Roanoke Island, the English don't give up. They make another attempt at establishing a presence in Virginia, it's called Jamestown.
The colony at Roanoke had not gone to plan and a voyage in 1590 found a twice deserted colony; however, this gave the English some time to learn their lessons and to learn from others. As John Smith prepares to set sail for Virginia, drafts a notice ahead of time which suggests a variety of actions from describing a good place to make land to how to defend oneself.
"And to the end that you be not surprized as the French were in Florida by Melindus, and the Spaniard in the same place by the French, you shall do well to make this double provision. First, erect a little stoure at the mouth of the river that might lodge some ten men; with whom you shall leave a light boat, that when any fleet shall be in sight, they may come with speed to give you warning. Secondly, you must in no case suffer any of the native people of the country to inhabit between you and the sea coast; for you cannot carry yourselves so towards them, but they will grow discontented with your habitation, and be ready to guide and assist any nation that shall come to invade you: and if you neglect this, you neglect your safety." - John Smith
As noted in earlier posts, the English Reformation put in England in a difficult spot, especially with regards to Catholic countries. Spain in particular has significant holdings in the Western Hemisphere with claims on Florida, the American Southwest, Mexico, and more. The French have also joined the parade of European nations looking for a passage around or through the Americas to reach India. The City of Quebec is founded in 1608, and serves as a toehold for the French in North America. For English persons headed to the Virginia colony, assistance from England would take time to arrive, and it's clear Smith's first concern is interference from other European nations. In a way, you could almost liken the colonization of the Americas to the space race. European countries attempt to explore and claim land faster than they actually know what they are claiming, mostly to outcompete each other.
His second warning is something of a consistent lesson learned in colonizing the Americas. Initial encounters between local people and Europeans often seem to start well and then become hostile. We established earlier that there was trade between the Native American nations, and we can certainly assume that word travels about the European arrivals. In my last post, I noted that the initial greeting when the English reached Roanoke seemed more aggressive than the greeting Columbus received. Knowing that the first settlers of Roanoke sailed back to England, and that the second group mysteriously disappeared, Smith recommends ensuring that this new group of settlers have a clear path back to the ocean. He also has other advice on their survival:
"In all your passages you must have great care not to offend the naturals, if you can eschew it; and imploy some few of your company to trade with them for corn and all other lasting victuals if you [?they] have any: and this you must do before that they perceive you mean to plant among them; for not being sure how your own seed corn will prosper the first year, to avoid the danger of famine, use and endeavour to store yourselves of the country corn."
The first Roanoke colony had supply problems. Colonization is difficult, you can only carry so much across the ocean, and then you need establish shelter, fortifications, crops, and find some way to produce profit. Smith's suggestion here is to establish good relations with the local people, in particular as a way to attain food.
Other documents from the voyage appear to indicate that initial interactions (accounts from 1602) with Native Americans in Virginia go pretty well. They dine and drink together,
"The seventh, the seignior came again with all his troop as before, and continued with us the most part of the day, we going to dinner about noon, they sat with us and did eat of our bacaleure and mustard, drank of our beer."
Smith also indicates that other early interactions are agreeable.
"In the midway staying to refresh our selves in little Ile foure or five savages came unto us which described unto us the course of the River, and after in our journey, they often met us, trading with us for such provision as wee had, and ariving at Arsatecke, hee whom we supposed to bee the chiefe King of all the rest, moste kindely entertained us, giving us in a guide to go with us up the River to Powhatan, of which place their great Emperor taketh his name, where he that they honored for King used us kindely" - John Smith
From the early accounts, it sounds as if the Powhatans are willing to guide the English on the river, help them forage for food, and make trade with them. Just after spending a day learning to forage for mussels, Smith claims, "where the first we heard was that 400. Indians the day before assalted the fort, & surprised". The English strengthen their palisade defenses and manage to find peace with their neighbors for a short time after.
And then another setback, this time instead of Native Americans getting sick, some of the English start getting sick. "Shortly after Captaine Gosnold fell sicke, and within three weeks died, Captaine Ratcliffe being then also verie sicke and weake, and my selfe having also tasted of the extremitie therof," and they pray that God would have their neighbors bring them corn, rather than prey upon them while they are ill. After 46 of Smith's compatriots had died and with their supplies dwindling, "the Indians brought us great store both of Corne and bread ready made". If Smith's accounts are to be taken at face value, he spends much of the summer and fall making trades with different Native American villages to bring supplies into the colony that seems to often be on the verge of collapse.
Smith goes on to tell a tale that sounds vaguely Marco Polo-esque. While out with a couple of Native American guides, he and a few men are attacked. Smith survives and is carried away, and then treated as a sort of royal prisoner, where he ingratiates himself with their king and eventually returned to the fort. "The Empereur Powhatan, each weeke once or twice, sent me many presents of Deare, bread Raugroughcuns; halfe alwayes for my father whom he much desired to see, and halfe for me". His accounts seem quite fantastic, but accounts seem to indicate that Smith presides over a period of time where there was some chance for a stable-ish coexistence. After Smith returns to England, things begin to unravel.
By 1610, again short on supplies, a convoy arrives late, and an an assessment of the Virginia Colony is made which lists a variety of faults from the general character of the men of the colony, to the lack of care in mending and maintaining fishing nets, to even a the story of a grizzly murder whereby a man dismembered his wife. This account is almost as fantastic Smith's but in the opposite direction. After accounting for many of the Englishmen's faults and sins, the author notes:
"The state of the Colony, by these accidents began to find a sensible declying: which Powhatan (as a greedy Vulture) observing, and boyling with desire of revenge, he invited Captaine Ratclife, and about thirty others to trade for Corne, and under the colour of fairest friendship, he brought them within the compasse of his ambush, whereby they were cruelly murthered, and massacred.".
The relationship between the English settlers and Powhatans stays sour at this point and devolves into violence. An account from 1614 claims, "Being thus justly provoked, we presently manned our boats, went ashoare, and burned in that verie place some forty houses, and of the things we found therein, made freeboote and pillage." Peace is only able to be brokered after the English are able to hold the chief's daughter, Matoaka or Pocahontas, hostage:
"two of Powhatans sonnes being very desirous to see their sister who was there present ashore with us, came unto us, at the sight of whom, and her well fare, whom they suspected to be worse intreated, though they had often heard the contrary, they much rejoyced, and promised that they would undoubtedly perswade their father to redeem her, and to conclude a firme peace forever with us"
Pocahontas marries John Rolfe, in what feels like a feudal marriage, a marriage to help create a peace between kingdoms. The first interracial marriage in Virginia brings about a short period of peace between Powhatan and the English. Rolfe is able realize the potential of planting tobacco in Virginia, and England begins to see a return on investment. Pocahontas dies in 1617, and the future events are somewhat predictable. The English and Powhatan return to fighting, but the fate of the colony is already decided, a letter from 1619 notes, "All our riches for the present doe consiste in Tobacco". The letter foreshadows other events of 1619, John Rolfe's notes from the same year highlight the coming of colony's first slaves, a "free" labor source to help make cropping in the colonies profitable.
Jamestown might be a lesson in what could have been. Perhaps there was a window of opportunity for Europeans peoples and Americans peoples to chart a path together. Or perhaps Jamestown is simply a foreshadowing of future events with English settlers arriving on the coast, working their way inland, taking whatever land they can, and then using slave labor to work stolen land.
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