After the explorers, people from England came to stay. In 1607, three small ships landed in Virginia. The settlers named their town Jamestown, after their king, James.
Key idea
Jamestown, founded in 1607, was the first English settlement in America that lasted.
Why it works
About 104 men and boys came to Jamestown. Many hoped to find gold and get rich. Instead they found hard times: bad water, sickness and too little food. The land was already home to the Powhatan people, led by a chief called Powhatan. At first the Powhatan traded food with the settlers, which helped them live. Later, the settlers learned to grow tobacco to sell, and the town grew.
Common mistake
Some children think the Pilgrims came first. Jamestown came first, in 1607. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, thirteen years later.
For the grown-up: Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Powhatan, is part of Jamestown's story. Relations between the settlers and the Powhatan turned to war more than once as the colony took more land.