Why did John Smith started Jamestown?

Answer 1

John Smith was one of the key figures in the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. He was a skilled leader and explorer who believed in the economic potential of the New World. Smith saw the opportunity to establish a profitable colony that could provide resources and wealth for the Virginia Company and England as a whole. Additionally, Smith was motivated by a desire to expand English influence and power in the region, competing with other European nations for control of valuable land and resources.

Answer 2

John Smith did not found VA nor Jamestown. Jamestown was a private enterprise funded by a group of venture capitalist called the Virginia Company. The backers wanted a quick return from the 106 men they sent. They thought that the area was laden with vast stores of gold and silver. The goal to get these metals as fast as possible. Spain also thought that gold and silver was located in the area and in 1570 sent a group a few miles north of Jamestown for the same reasons. The Virgina Company were worried about protecting their investment from Spain so they instructed the colonists to settle far from the ocean " a hundred miles from the river's mouth." This would minimize the chance of a sudden attack by Spanish ships. Within the first 6 months only 34 of the 106 men were still alive. This is what Smith found when he arrived in the area in late 1608 to be the second governor of the colony. He set rules and rationed the food as well as made deals with the Native Americans to get food from them. He was not a popular governor and in 1609 he had to return to England because of burns due to a gunpowder accident.

Answer 3

VA was not founded by Smith and neither was Jamestown. The Virgina Company, a group of investors, sent 106 men to look for gold and silver in 1607. Smith didn't come to the colony until late 1608 as the second governor. He set rules for the colony and began to ration food. He found 34 men of the 106 alive when he arrived. In 1609 he had to return home due to an accident with gun powder.

Answer 4

The Virginia Company had hoped to make a profit.

Answer 5

to own the land with gold