Jamestown: Why Did America’s Birthplace Almost Fail?

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Credits:
Host - Simon Whistler
Author - Arnaldo Teodorani
Producer - Jennifer Da Silva
Executive Producer - Shell Harris
Business inquiries to [e-mail]
Source/Further reading:
Watch our video about Pocahontas:
• Pocahontas: The Tragic...
Visiting Jamestown
historicjamestowne.org/
historicjamestowne.org/archae...
historicjamestowne.org/visit/...
historicjamestowne.org/visit/...
historicjamestowne.org/collec...
Indentured servitude
www.pbs.org/opb/historydetect...
Cannibalism
www.washingtonpost.com/nation...
www.history.org/Foundation/jou...
www.history.org/Foundation/jou...
www.nationalgeographic.com/ne...
History of Jamestown
books.google.co.uk/books?hl=e...
www.nps.gov/jame/learn/histor...
www.historyisfun.org/jamestow...
www.nationalgeographic.org/ph...
www.nationalgeographic.com/ne...
historicjamestowne.org/histor...
Why did it almost fail
www.americanhistoryusa.com/wh...
George Percy’s ‘A trewe relacyon’
www.history.org/Foundation/jou...
www.history.org/index.cfm?sho...
Pocahontas
historycollection.co/16-facts...
www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...

[@geographicstravel]

Go to go.thoughtleaders.io/1650420200128 for unlimited access to the world’s top documentaries and non­fiction series, and for our listeners, enter the promo code ‘biographics’ when prompted during the sign­up process and your membership is completely free for the first 30 days.

[@christopherfitch3347]

You should do one on the "city of five flags" aka Pensacola, Florida. A city that's been under five different governments control and the former capital of Florida.

[@frankkolton1780]

Jamestown seems like ancient history to most of us Yanks, until you go to Europe, then Jamestown seems like a recent bad camping trip.

[@FunSizeSpamberguesa]

@Steve the Pirate Wait, what? To who, and why?

[@KalmoK]

Recent? Not even, we had more and even worse camping trips

[@debayanbiswas9332]

@Frank Kolton come to India...You will feel Jamestown incidents occurred in recent days..

[@robjones1328]

Steve the Pirate wtf....

[@jonatanrullman]

As a european I can confirm this. I do however envy your history class. In Sweden we begin with the vikings in 500 CE and it's basically a shitfest of old kings and battles from then to 1750. US teacher be like: Four score and seven years ago.

[@fraggedful]

As someone who lives in Virginia and has visited Jamestown numerous times, it is crazy to think anyone survived there hundreds of years ago due to how little there is in the area. To think anything became of it, is a miracle story at the very least

[@myownirvana]

I live here in Virginia, about an hour from Jamestown, and I applaud how thorough you were on Jamestown. A lot of its history has been disney-fied and made family-friendly, it's nice to see how you touched on the realities of the colony. Thanks

[@buckeyeman7631]

"almost failed" is how he put it....Jamestown DID FAIL, miserably I might add. This Brit needs learn some more real history, and my fellow Americans like you shouldn't gaslight this topic and accept a false premise.

[@lawdogattorneyatlaw4886]

The Dude by what metric do you mean?

[@robertvirginiabeach]

The success of the Virginia colony occurred in other sites like Hampton, Surrey and what is now Newport News. The original capital was simply too difficult to live in, particularly with the fresh water supply issue. Williamsburg had a better water supply, although the presence of the college didn't hurt.

[@lindaeasley5606]

@@robertvirginiabeach Henrico county Virginia was thriving by the 1660s thanks to tobacco , plantation owners and the many indentured servants brought over from England to work the tobacco fields. My immigrant ancestor arrived in 1675 as an indentured servant of William Byrd l

[@AngryAndNegativeHistoryProject]

​@@buckeyeman7631 what do you mean that it failed miserably? Elaborate

[@otterdccaptain9229]

Why not do an episode on St. Augustine, FL, the oldest European settlement in the US? Founded by Ponce de Leon and home to the famed Fountain of Youth and Florida's legendary Old Sparky

[@chill2025]

OtterDC Captain you’re forgetting the first pain clinic handing out OxyContin

[@eodyn7]

Because the US wasn't founded as a Spanish country.

[@ethan60645]

Eodyn yeah but is it not the oldest settlement in the americas?

[@otterdccaptain9229]

@@ethan60645 please read my post. Btw...Santa Fe is the oldest continually lived-in city in the United States.

[@otterdccaptain9229]

@@eodyn7 it wasn't founded by the British either

[@Walmartshoez]

I live here!!!! We went to Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown almost every year in school.

[@gjcij2203]

Grew up literally in Yorktown, never realized how jaded you get about the history of this area being here everyday.

[@samwestbrock5488]

I’m happy to see people from 757 watch this Channel I grew up in Williamsburg

[@DarthKenobius]

Grew up in Seaford, York County. Represent

[@gregwilliams7848]

I grew up in Hampton! One of the best things about living in the Tidewater area is all the history. Great video!

[@MrKeni420]

Grew up in Newport News, yes class trips to every historical site, EVERY YEAR!

[@AtomicLegion]

"don't offend that naturals." a very underrated rule.

[@BothHands1]

love the ouran pfp ^_^

[@koolnomi95]

Step 1: Don't annoy the native people Failed Step 1

[@claudiobizama5603]

"Naturals" sounds oddly nice

[@PinkyJujubean]

​@@koolnomi95every colonial country fails step 1. Kinda hard not to

[@davidhughes9086]

the beard is filling in nicely

[@derrickstorm6976]

Overgrown

[@kostikoskela375]

@@derrickstorm6976 no it looks better than ever now.

[@linascharzevskis9944]

Captain John Smith

[@Rangifulla]

Can you see the bit he's been twisting on the left jawline? Looks like a dreadlock

[@delarkaBCN]

@@Rangifulla rastagraphics

[@macnutz4206]

While the colony in Roanoke disappeared, some of the people survived among the local natives. There are people living in North Carolina who have been determined, by DNA tests, to be direct descendants of two families that were part of the colony. One fellow still had the family name, Brown. They were comparing the DNA of Mr. Brown to that of some living descendants of the English families that sent members to Roanoke.

[@UmatsuObossa]

Considering the unliveable conditions of the land the settlers were trying to live on, I feel like it's possible the natives took pity on them and guided them away to live elsewhere. That or the natives didn't appreciate them being there and killed and kidnapped them all.

[@louismacleod3342]

correction: Jamestown is EAST of Richmond (30miles?).

[@AllThatsGone]

thanks. i thought it was just me.

[@MattPappa]

i was just about to say this. thank you!

[@jeremywhite92]

Yes. East. There's no ocean 60 miles WEST of Richmond.

[@joefisher6810]

Yeah like 45 miles se of Williamsburg

[@jeremiahardales6597]

Pleass do: * Salem, Massachusetts * Volgograd aka Stalingrad * Iwo Jima

[@furioussherman7265]

Everyone knows about why those places are important. Salem had the witch trials of 1692 (which were caused by mass hysteria, a side effect of a kind of mold that had gotten into everyone's bread), and the latter two were where major battles in WWII happened.

[@furioussherman7265]

@@SongokuJidai It isn't even a footnote. It's just a story of some stubborn old coot being senselessly murdered in a cruel and unusual way by a hysterical mob, one of dozens that happened in Salem and one of innumerable that died in any religiously-fueled panic throughout history. The only reason why Salem is well-known is because it happened on American soil, and Americans masturbate to the deluded notion that the only important events in history were ones that directly involved them.

[@MrAperry5]

Great channel!! Both this and Biographics are very well put together and extremely informative. Cheers from Canada

[@faithcastillo9597]

My husband and I visited Historic Jamestown several years ago, and enjoyed it thoroughly. There is a museum of artifacts on display, an interactive presentation where you, the audience, are treated as if a newly arriving colonist, a glass blowing shop, a representation of a typical native village, replicas of the ships the colonists sailed on, gardens, and much, much more. It's there that we learned about the hardships of establishing a life in a land bereft of all modern conveniences, and where we learned about the cannabalism. At the time, a midden pit was being excavated, and that is where Jane's bones had been found. It was a sobering, fascinating place to visit, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

[@jgc4818]

The impact Jamestown has on the nation is incredible and yet it never reached more than 500 population and by 1750 was little more than a country church and a few shacks. Many southerners, perhaps more than 40%, can trace their lineage to at least one settler from 1600’s Virginia. For instance, my city (Orlando, Fla.) was founded almost entirely by descendants of early Jamestown settlers who slowly spread outward into the Carolinas, Georgia, and inevitably Florida. The Jones family, one of America’s most common last names, first arrived at the small village. Some of the earliest black slaves arrived here in 1619. What would become The Episcopalian church, now having over 1.6 million members, effectively began when that first church service was held. And yet it was not until really 1907 when Jamestown was even remembered again. Funny how little things can make huge impacts on history. (FYI, Saint Augustine, Fla. is technically older, not having moved site since 1572. That place is interesting, it has only grown about three-fold since 1763.)

[@funDAYsmiling]

JGC I’m an Anglican Episcopalian and my mom’s ancestors came over on the Mayflower and dad’s settled in Virginia and Philly and signed the Declaration of Independence. I love history stuff even though almost all of the garbage taught in schools now is either romanticized nonsense or revisionist garbage.

[@MarkTulsa2024]

In can trace my family back to James Rowe in 1652 in Virginia.

[@UnchainedAmerica]

The low controlled population was done, thankfully by nature and the "naturals" leaving them alone to die on their own silliness.

[@ethan60645]

Monsieur P. you related to benjamin rush? cause i am and the stories are similar. we can trace our roots to the mayflower and jamestown as well.

[@kstorey7497]

Are we not going to mention Plymouth? You know the other important colony that started a significant, yearly holiday for Americans called Thanksgiving. America has, in my opinion, two birthplaces, Jamestown and Plymouth.

[@TBONESIDEOFLIFE]

Really enjoying this channel, Simon. Cheers!

[@benpeters5851]

Wait the bacon rebellion had nothing to do with bacon?... I have never been so disappointed with history

[@WildStar2002]

{snicker} Love this comment! :-)

[@valkyriemedic]

Check out Dr. Todd Grande's video on the Boston Strangler for information on bacon related homicides. 😀

[@beepbopboop3221]

There is no bacon at Bacon's castle, but there was a ghost story. Apparently, there are more stories. I only heard the one.

[@paulcarmi8130]

Loved that live chat with you this morning Simon!!!!

[@annoyedworm5664]

That piece of beard sticking out...

[@liekevalk154]

FatTofu what has been seen can’t be unseen.

[@TheScaledOne]

I do the same thing without realizing it with my beard

[@jakebeneski1977]

Tacklecentral Fishing wrong

[@ladycheyne5607]

I'd break my back to touch it 🥺🤣🤣🤣

[@haplessasshole9615]

@@tacklecentralfishing1051 I don't think so. It's way too irregularly shaped. Also, he generally uses a mic clipped to the placket of his shirt.

[@bertoflores5046]

What's up with the little dread in his beard on the right side of the screen 😂 Still I love the channel and appreciate his work.

[@TheScaledOne]

That's a "well I'm not refilming the whole bloody thing" kind of mistake.

[@tylernilson7021]

yeah, it looks like his beard is trying to colonise his shoulder

[@ZombiesAteMyGF]

Like Michael Scott when he vacationed in Jamaica.

[@rageintothelight]

He likes micro dreads?

[@NevadaLamb]

Thank you for this video and the one on MegaProjects! I’m visiting Jamestown tomorrow and am happy to have the info needed to fully understand and appreciate the land.

[@gameaccount3420]

Seems like there has always been a problem with the concept of treating all people with respect.

[@PrezVeto]

People have treated insiders better than outsiders since time immemorial. Pretty much all social animals exhibit this. It ultimately arises from biological factors.

[@ianwalton284]

In the United States, the plant is called "jimsonweed", or more rarely "Jamestown weed" deriving from the town of Jamestown, Virginia, where English soldiers consumed it while attempting to suppress Bacon's Rebellion. They spent 11 days in altered mental states: The James-Town Weed (which resembles the Thorny Apple of Peru, and I take to be the plant so call'd) is supposed to be one of the greatest coolers in the world. This being an early plant, was gather'd very young for a boil'd salad, by some of the soldiers sent thither to quell the rebellion of Bacon (1676); and some of them ate plentifully of it, the effect of which was a very pleasant comedy, for they turned natural fools upon it for several days: one would blow up a feather in the air; another would dart straws at it with much fury; and another, stark naked, was sitting up in a corner like a monkey, grinning and making mows [grimaces] at them; a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, and sneer in their faces with a countenance more antic than any in a Dutch droll.

[@davidmauney4149]

I'm American, and I do know the story of Jamestown. What can I say? Excellent job as usual. Kept my rapt attention when I thought you were just going over what I already know, but with new information, and maybe a different enough perspective to keep the whole thing interesting. Well done, again. Unexpectedly well done. As usual.

[@LindaCasey]

I lived in Virginia Beach (First Landing = amongst the 'goodly tall trees') back in the 80s and made frequent visits to Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg as well as the various Indian reservations. It was a thrilling time for me to be immersed hip deep in so much beautiful history. Thank you for posting. 🌹

[@barnyardaerials]

I was brought in by the title, I commented because of the beard. Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice ! haha

[@laurak5838]

I can't look away!

[@jennylee9278]

They brought too many chiefs and not enough Indians. No farmers, no carpenters, just a bunch of bosses.

[@Alpine_Joe]

Unfortunate choice of metaphor 😂

[@clerickolter]

The French led off with traders, then fit men and women with skills and some leaders and soldiers then African Slaves. Spanish followed similar approaches. Smiths were often paid well to move in with generous granting of benefits in both cases. You needed smiths of all kinds.

[@22steve5150]

and to make matters worse they took just about the worst slice of land they could find for their home, so they had the combination of not many colonists who knew how to survive, not much to work with as far as the surrounding area, exposure to new diseases, exposure to a very different kind of climate that most were used to, very infrequent resupply, and being completely surrounded by 15,000 indians who were very frequently enemies. Talk about "set up to fail".

[@jennylee9278]

@@Alpine_Joe It was intentional. I am part native so I have a free use card.

[@SkinnyVinnyLive]

A strategy that has carried over into cooperate America lol

[@NanaSevers]

Some of the men that immigrated were “gentlemen” meaning, born into a rich family, probably never worked, had allowance or trust fund, and were only interested in searching for gold. They refused to build their own houses and never grew crops, thinking that the others would provide shelter and food. The other settlers were pissed off that the gentlemen were not contributing to the community. They told them they had to fend for themselves. Some went back to England, others did build cabins with help and grow crops.

[@jackfinlander3359]

BeausMama part of this was because of how sick everyone was with what I believe was Malaria and dysentery, due to the town being founded by a swamp and having a dreary water supply. One of the governors commented on how he thought the colony was failing from laziness, then he caught ill himself and left for the tropics to find anti-scorbutic fruit, dying along the way.

[@domusdebellum3042]

1609-10 winter was not kind to the residents of jamestown.

[@92bagder]

a lot of factors working against Jamestown. 1. Location settling next to a mosquito infested swamp. Having your settlers comprised mainly of non skilled opportunity seekers, criminals, paupers, ect; which led to discipline problems ( in the early days it was just a land grab and trying to see what settlement stuck. We can thank the German settlers who brought their skills and knowledge on agriculture techniques.) To sum it up the settlement was populated by people who didnt know what they were doing.

[@domusdebellum3042]

@@92bagder or you can thank the natives who showed the settlers how to grow corn and tobacco and the settlers who listened and actually did the work.

[@ladycheyne5607]

The natives should have built a wall🤣🤣🤣

[@jessicahedges6048]

New video...yay! I really needed a new Geographics video to watch today.

[@bizzl187]

Hey Simon! Thank you for another great video!

[@lisaallis6632]

You didn't do ALL of your homework. Jamestown is southeast of Richmond. But your beard is magnificent so all is forgiven.

[@godhatesusall85]

Not just the beard, the entire package is magnificent, and back off my man!

[@daveylacy]

Supadupa Swaggascoopa Confusing east and west is hard to do.

[@GilmerJohn]

@Supadupa Swaggascoopa -- I doubt that. Richmond (the present capital) is at the "fall line" of the James River. Jamestown is down river from Richmond.

[@OpalBLeigh]

I agree with this system of justice. Lisa Campbell has spoken.

[@211inprogress]

@@OpalBLeigh yes I agree also. 😆 🇬🇧✌️

[@movietimeateds69]

When I was 4 years old, my family went to Jamestown. Somewhere I learned the finger, so I ended up flipping everybody off all day.

[@harveyrouen4655]

Nice

[@Proseless]

Nice

[@jgc4818]

Nice

[@theweirdguyinthecorner]

Nice

[@felixgarcia2423]

Nice

[@bigemugamer]

DUUUUDE!! Watched Ryugyong Hotel and just finished THIS video. Loved this Video, as horrible as it is to hear about Torture, rape, cannibalism, murder and starvation, the inclusion of such facts in these stories really drives home how horrific conditions can be for people who are unprepared for the realization of how life IS as opposed to what we want it to be. I think my gf will find these interesting, please keep them up. Subscribed!! Have watched yo on various videos in the past 6 months or so, but these 2 vids I watched sealed you a subscriber!!

[@stonnedgunnertv23]

Very informative on this subject didn't know about the cannabilism and revolving settlers

[@nohbuddy1]

Seeing the skeleton of 'Jane' with the cut marks on the bone is quite harrowing

[@Galaar]

I admit, I do a little dance in my chair when a video comes out regarding a topic I've studied in the past.

[@moendopi5430]

This is now one of my favourites of these. I grew up not far from there. That part about Newport makes more sense than the abridged story I was always told growing up. I hadn't realized they had only begun the excavations in 94. I thought that had been ages ago, not when I was I kindergarten!

[@ZoeyZoco]

I live *NEXTDOOR* to Jamestown settlement! I love seeing people across the world talk about my hometown! ❤️

[@thejudgmentalcat]

"Powdered wife" *Binging With Babish has joined the chat*

[@paulcarmi8130]

I don't get it

[@user-bd1lf3hr4p]

The "Sea Venture" story inspired also Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

[@interwebtubes]

Nice piece , It’s definitely all put together 👍

[@fordtrucks33]

A lot of historians say she was treated well during her capture. The reason being was that colonist were greatly outnumbered and didn’t want to risk a full fledged attack from the Powhatan.

[@ScottKent]

I've been to Historic Jamestown; it's...well...still there. A reconstructed fort, replicas (full sized) of all 3 ships, and an underfunded park. It's a place where history buffs go, or perhaps a place where parents feel they should take their children. I think the biggest crowds are school groups. The ships are so tiny compared to modern ships and it's hard to believe that they are full sized. Although photographs make the ships look fairly large..in person...when you see them...cross the Atlantic in one of those...nope. Jamestown is not exciting and it lacks the parades or the volume of things to participate in like Colonial Williamsburg or Yorktown...but it still has mosquitoes and it is not the easiest of places to get to still today. It is an informative, educational, and beloved by many place but it's the kind of place that you see once and feel you've pretty much seen all it has to offer.

[@cheyennedogsoldiers]

I have spent a great deal of time in Virginia and as an Englishman coming from England's fine weather I can only begin to imagine how hard it must have been. Dealing with just the temperatures and humidity alone must have been a brutal education for those early settlers.

[@jamesvalentine2103]

Funny you say that, I've heard a lot of English people complain about the English weather. It seems to have a rainy reputation, and yet a city like London gets less rain than central Texas. There are more rainy days in London, but more actual rain and thunderstorms here, and more sun.

[@UmatsuObossa]

The sun is also brutal here, and the bugs!!! I can only imagine hoe many ticks they were having to pick off every day. And in the summer when we get actual storms!! I've seen Englishmen act like the world is ending when a squall blows in, and Americans are just like "huh...looks like rain".

[@connorweston2858]

I live in Fredericksburg Virginia, about two hours from Jamestown, as a child we took many field trips down to Jamestown and for me it was amazing, they had musket and cannon demonstrations as well as actors to paint a picture of how the settlers lived back in those times

[@GraV21]

This is where I’m from and currently live. Every year we would go to Jamestown on a field trip. I live in Yorktown, which is also pretty historically relevant. This area also has Colonial Williamsburg and all these areas are great places to live and raise a family. Love seeing videos on my state and areas history for others to see and enjoy.

[@zonimacabre]

I am not embarrassed saying my favorite movie was Pocahontes. However, I was younger than most people, (I think?), to hear a closer to the truth version. Thanks for doing the whole settlement and clearing up some details. I love all your channels!

[@MrSuupar]

2:04 Jamestown is not West of Richmond... It's East of Richmond

[@meagancaputo6018]

Fabio Geiger That is the exact reason why I’m reading comments. I was hoping someone will call them out for that.

[@Shrek2Enthusiast]

I like how he said we did our homework right after 😂 I'm surprised I had to scroll this far to see someone saying something

[@pohldriver]

He's impersonating a Jamestown tour guide while wandering around the mountains of Western Virginia.

[@buckeyeman7631]

This Brit shows in this video he knows no real facts, this video is an embarrassment for this channel!

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@buckeyeman7631 Why, because he said "west" instead of "east"? That's harsh!

[@lilredredcooper902]

I love everything this guy does. I listen to him all day at work.

[@diamondk1o187]

In fourth grade Virginia students take a trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg. I have gone back several times since then and always discovered something new. They have exhibit of life in the settlement and native American life. You can go down to the replica boats and walk aboard. It is very nice.

[@marilynguinnane4663]

The monarchy in England still refers to the USA as 'The Virginia Company.' With regard to Jamestown, one of my ancestors was there in the 1600s; am pretty sure his name was Sir Wm. Wiseman. (Wiseman was purely an English name until Jews decided to Anglicize Weisman by transposing the letters). The family estate in England was called Much Canfield Park, in Essex. What this documentary left out was how so many inhabitants of Jamestown were bluebloods and had no clue as to how to farm or even dress their own deer. They had led cushy lives and were used to servants. Inasmuch as the first born in a family received all the wealth by way of inheritance, the 2nd, 3rd., 4th born sometimes opted for a new life in the New World. I've no clue as to why my ancestor was knighted and can only pray that he didn't partake of the cannibalism. Perhaps he landed in the late 1600s . . .

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

I’m from Essex in the U.K. and must say you are of good stock having an ancestor from Essex lol

[@SoulDevoured]

If it makes you feel better if you go back far enough most people's ancestors did terrible things for food and had incestuous babies that eventually lead to you. Human history isn't made for children. Unfortunately most of us learn about it when we are children in lesson plans designed for children

[@theophrastusbombastus1359]

You obvs didn't watch the video. He specifically states that they were upper class males who had no knowledge of farming, nor any servants there with them

[@rebeccamd7903]

Thank your for making this video. I am descended from many settlers and Natives of Jamestown. They celebrated their 400th anniversary recently & opened a new Native exhibit. We’ve also begun working with PBS to make a documentary on the Descendants of Pocahontas that started last fall. As a descendant of Pocahontas...this is so exciting to me!!

[@EVERTONFC.]

Did you have powdered wife as an appetizer?

[@rebeccamd7903]

Muso Snob damn! That’s low.

[@EVERTONFC.]

@@rebeccamd7903 ha ha come on !!

[@rebeccamd7903]

Muso Snob it’s all in good fun. 🤣😉

[@AlexanderJasperJay]

Hey what happened to this project? Did it get delayed with COVID or is it available?

[@mouser4290]

Being a proud descendant of James Watkins this is a topic my family like to talk about heck even some of us penned a few books over the years. I love the work you and your team do, this time some one missed the elephant in the room. Jamestown named after King, James I. was setup on a system of common ownership instead of private property and help things along, just do what ever job one feels like doing if and when you feel like working. The gentleman attitude of the time on some grand adventure with a touch of the socialize communal benefits of coming together with friends and colleagues may have kill off a good chunk of the first group. It took a good kick in the pants to save the place and the few entitle idiots that survived.

[@CORNSiLK]

I visited Jamestown a few years ago, in the winter. I would advise waiting for warmer months, but it was a very enjoyable experience. My (then) young cousin got to help water the gardens and try on a chestplate. I plan to return when my nephews are old enough to appreciate it, as we have ancestors who lived there and are interested in the history.

[@raoulduke2513]

Did you get to taste "carbonado'd settler"? It's a delicacy

[@zylaaeria2627]

To think that it only took 400 years to go from a fledgling colony on some random backwater marsh to the most powerful country on Earth is quite amazing in of itself. No one of the original 100 settlers could ever have imagined just what their legacy would have entailed. Imagine how much more will change in another 400 years.

[@kendrox0994]

^^ah there it is, the reply that degrades a comment

[@felixgarcia2423]

Chuck how woke!

[@katemaloney4296]

John Smith: [coming back to Jamestown] Hey, has anyone seen William? Settler: [burping] We had him for dinner last week. Since then, no.

[@teagandreyer1997]

Could you do videos about Native American history? King Philips War? The Massacre of Wounded Knee? The occupation of Alcatraz? Info of the American Indian Movement? I love your videos and as a future college professor for history I appreciate your wanting to inform people about a wide range of topics!

[@charlesmaeger9962]

Spring is very beautiful in this part of Virginia. The last two weeks of April are blooming wonderful. Cape Henry,where they first landed, is worth the trip. It's where the Chesapeake Bay enters the Atlantic Ocean.

[@wordsmithgmxch]

East! (2:00) Jamestown it 60 mi (100 km) EAST of Richmond.

[@chuckintrucker8065]

Loving the beard! Keep it going!

[@anguskeenan4932]

Congrats on your first sponsorship guys!

[@texasyojimbo]

Jamestowne is East of Richmond (on the mouth of the James River near Chesapeake Bay), not West.

[@buckeyeman7631]

this Brit is ignorant, this whole video is rubbish... Jamestown DID FAIL. Period.

[@lisamac1986]

The Dude Simon only reads the things, it’s his team that do the shoddy research.

[@buckeyeman7631]

@@lisamac1986 I don't buy that. If someone lies to me, and I repeat the lie, I am a failure for not doing my own due diligence, so at minimum SImon is intellectually lazy. At minimum.

[@marilynguinnane4663]

@@buckeyeman7631 -- Oh Dude, shame. Mr. Whistler works tirelessly and, in the main, what he and his team offer us is A+ material.

[@buckeyeman7631]

@@marilynguinnane4663 LOL. if you call this A+ material, you must be a clueless Trump fan too. Talk about gaslighting.

[@Marcus51090]

You should all watch “Jamestown” on tv high budget tv show it’s brilliant Virginia is named after the virgin queen, Elizabeth 1st And for those saying he is moaning that he spelt town and cities wrong no that’s how it was spelt in old English

[@harveyrouen4655]

Early modern English, old English were basically just German

[@garethbaus5471]

English stopped being considered old English a couple hundred years before the discovery of the Americas.

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@harveyrouen4655 *Germanic....still VERY different from German, but similar enough to have a basic conversation and get the gist of what each other was saying.

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

No, that TV show is very poor history.

[@Marcus51090]

Fabrisse ter Brugghe I don’t care it’s good

[@BaronessErsatz]

Back when I was married and our girls were young, we holidayed in Williamsburg. Fascinating place. Worshipped at Bruton Parish. High-back pews, a churchyard under renovation.....I recommend it.

[@michaelhowell2326]

Something new and relevant every time. Can you cover the Potala Palace soon?

[@spider0804]

Simon we wear the same glasses I have just realized. Does that mean I am fashionable?

[@Mrgunsngear]

Thanks

[@donwall9632]

Good stuff as always

[@geodkyt]

I grew up about half an hour away, and have spent quite a bit of time at both the original site and the nearby recreation.

[@storms_lair2123]

Do one on Constantinople or Istanbul as its known

[@316ht2]

That's nobody's business but the Turks

[@storms_lair2123]

@@316ht2 it's the orthodox christians bonus and everyone who wants to study the roman empire and those beutiful theodosian walls

[@davonmulder5272]

Really like the way you talk, It sounds so epic!

[@nodelhs6992]

When describing curiositystream for the second time you said "A" and then "2". My brain cant let it go Simon

[@joechang8696]

there are several major omissions in the history of America, North and South. The Mayflower was headed for Virginia, but the Pilgrims were dropped off in Massachusetts due to schedule issues. It was understood that settling in New England was impractical because natives were happy to trade with the European cod fishing ships, but made clear when it was time to leave.

[@jgc4818]

Joe Chang The Mayflower was headed the Manhattan Island. Back then everything from Main to Georgia was called “Virginia”.

[@corgifloofi4840]

One of my ancestors was there in 1607. He eventually went back to England though.

[@ethan60645]

same but we stayed sadly

[@raymondj8768]

@@ethan60645 you are now part of the most powerfull country in the world !!

[@derrickstorm6976]

@@raymondj8768 allegedly

[@harveyrouen4655]

@@raymondj8768 China might want a word with you

[@raymondj8768]

@@derrickstorm6976 bullshit !

[@2iyao2iyao6]

Can you do Jonestown next? :)

[@irocss85]

Thanks for the info

[@abdelrahmanwael2551]

Wow this channel really blossomed in no time

[@piercemyers3006]

I’d like to see one on parris island, sc. we have monuments to French and Spanish settlement and it was a plantation for a while. it is now the basic training location for the USMC.

[@deanbeckerley5530]

He did it on purpose so we'd all comment on it

[@mach1mustangguy992]

I actually live across the river from there in Gloucester county. We used to go there with the schools every year. Right about the time they started with the digging. Makes me want to go back again now that I’m a adult

[@J.Strantz]

I enjoy the sinister feel of the geographic videos. Simon is much more hitchcock here than on the other 2 channels. Magnificent.

[@WileyGunslinger]

Love how Simon tends to pass over the fact of slavery in England along with a lot of other European countries.

[@jeromecannon8070]

It’s not exactly passing over the fact, rather, it would be historically inaccurate to seperate “American” from “European” slave ownership as the Americans at this time were European, and the European slave trade was almost entirely founded upon the idea of delivering free labour to aristocratic plantation owners in the colonies (who were also all European). Within Europe itself, cheap or free labour was not an issue due to the perseverance of the serf system, which itself was abolished (at least in the major European hold out, Russia) around the same time in 1861.

[@skipperson4077]

a major reason Jamestown was abandoned was poor soil, basically built on sand, to go along with poor drainage which led to mosquitoes and tropical diseases. That soil improves a lot when you reach the rolling hills of Virginia's Piedmont region and that region is not far away. Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown are available for historical tourism partly because they were largely abandoned/under-inhabited, Virginians simply moved up river to better lands....

[@robertnelson3179]

Glad to watch this one Simon I have been told that my family traces back to Smith still looking for proff of this though

[@braggarmybrat]

Great episode, had to stop after 5 minutes because the beard dreadlock was freaking my OCD out. I'll come back to it after the urge to shave you goes away.

[@rubenvanrooyen8006]

Last time I was this early Virginia was still one colony

[@spectreshadow]

You mean one state right?

[@maggiemae7749]

@@spectreshadow this was before the revolutionary war. So it was one colony

[@NRH111]

Last time i was this early virgina still held land claims all the way to modern montana

[@fishingfanaticsuk]

What's that hanging off your left cheek? Lol

[@firemarshal2629]

This channel along with Biographics and TIFO are the new history channel.

[@richardmanning6488]

Love your videos from all your channels. Would be great to get some Canadian content. Thanks for keeping me entertainment every week.

[@thefacelessnarrator]

Great video as always, Attenborough of KZbin! (Shameless self-plug but I also did a video on Jamestown, the stories of cannibalism, and a few other good bits. If anyone is looking for more content on the same topic, feel free to check it out.)

[@wordsmithgmxch]

It's confusing. I know: Man-HAT-tan; but (2:36) POW-a-tan.

[@kekedemonized8636]

It was a place of sadness but also a place of new beginnings i went there when i was like 10 or 11

[@Anagnostis79]

I have been there. Its a nice place to visit! Thanks for the vid!

[@jackwright3996]

Timeline was all over the place making it a little hard to follow

[@buckeyeman7631]

this video was mostly inaccurate, starting with the premise...IT DID FAIL.

[@bubba132]

Historians will be shocked to learn - Jamestown didn't fail! Hard to know what would count as failure, since half people that set foot in the place quickly died, and most of the rest left. I guess the height of it's success must have been burning down, since it was plowed over shortly after.

[@lordlostalot2576]

Take Route 5 from Jamestown Williamsburg to Richmond or vice versa. It's a beautiful drive and keeps you off I-64. There is a beautiful public campground near Jamestown named Chickahominy Riverfront Park. It has tent and Rv sites as well as a boat ramp and canoe/kayak rental.

[@markhuston3437]

Roanoke would make a good geographics too, I like listening to u tell the stories better than anyone else.

[@tacogaviglio575]

Hey Simon, your beard is starting to look very on point. Had to be said.

[@DavidGarcia-oi5nt]

It's gross

[@marilynguinnane4663]

Mark Gaviglio -- Comment after comment on some freakin' beard, and all these comments are from men. Really weird.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:50 - Chapter 1 - Visiting Jamestown 5:20 - Chapter 2 - The birth of the birthplace of americ 12:55 - Mid roll ads 14:15 - Chapter 3 - The starving times 19:45 - Chapter 4 - Why did it almost fail ?

[@jpavlvs]

Post US Civil war the books were changed so we learned the pilgrims were there first. Or at lest the most successful. That's because Jamestown is in Virginia a southern state. Actually St. Augustine was the first successful European town I the 'New World'. But again. The US doesn't recognize St Augustine at all because it was Spanish.

[@aintnolittlegirl9322]

In Virginia, we learned the truth.

[@jenniferhunt9971]

My high school was only miles from Jamestown. I feel lucky to live in such a rich historical area. I now live in Yorktown. There’s an awesome book called James City keystone of the commonwealth that talks about the history of the area.