What was the mineral that they mistook for gold?
Jamestown was not a healthy place to live; a swamp surrounded it. Marshes had stale water, mosquitoes carried diseases, the weather was hot, and food was scarce. Over half of the settlers died in the first year. The settlers did not find gold and their many attempts at starting industries failed. Around 1611, John Rolfe, the husband of Pocahontas, began to grow tobacco. The first year Rolfe sent tobacco back to England it made more money than anything before it. Tobacco plantations began developing along the rivers. The rivers were important to transport the heavy hogsheads (barrels) of tobacco to the ships so they could be sent to England. Most plantation owners had their own docks on the rivers. 1619 – A Year of Change With the growing of tobacco, Jamestown and the surrounding areas started to increase in population. Many settlements had popped up along the James River and the land around the Chesapeake Bay. The landowners on these settlements wanted to have a say in colonial politic
