US History 1492-1877, Unit 2: Colonial America: Jamestown and Plymouth
About this episode
This episode explores the founding and struggles of the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies in Colonial America.
In this lesson from Unit 2: Colonial America, students examine the founding and struggles of two of the earliest English colonies in North America: Jamestown and Plymouth. Students explore how the goals, challenges, and survival strategies of these colonies helped shape the future development of Colonial America. The lesson begins with important vocabulary including charter and representative government before examining the founding of Jamestown in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London. Students learn how investors hoped to find gold and establish profitable trade, only to face disease, starvation, conflict, and near collapse during the colony’s early years. A major focus of the lesson is Captain John Smith and his remarkable background as a mercenary, adventurer, and sea fighter before arriving in Virginia. Students explore how Smith’s harsh leadership and survival experience helped keep Jamestown alive during periods of extreme hardship. The lesson also examines the relationship between the English settlers and the Powhatan Confederacy, including the role of Pocahontas as a cultural link between the groups. Students learn about Pocahontas’s kidnapping by the English, her…
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