Jamestown

I have been doing some reading and following the celebration for the 400th year of the founding of Jamestown. Time, National Geographic, and Smithsonian all have article this month on the founding of Jamestown, and I imagine that many other journals and magazines will include articles on its founding. Queen Elizabeth II is in Virginia this week helping in the celebrations.

To be honest, while I was well aware of Jamestown and its founding in 1607, I really didn't know much about it. So this morning when I read in Time the articles on John Smith, Pocahontas, and how slavery began and expanded in Virginia fascinating. John Smith has an incredible story and had many close calls during is relatively long life. Just in is relationship with Jamestown he was almost executed three times, one by the Indians and twice by the colonists. He was not an easy person to get along with, but as the byline of the essay says, "He was a bully, a braggart and a rebel with a big chip on his shoulder. They would never have made it without him." What I find especially amazing is that when Jamestown was settled, Smith was only 27.

I would be interested in learning about any articles that you have read about Jamestown that you have found particularly interesting.