Why are Smith’s explorations significant?
May 2007 marked the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America and the beginning of Captain Smith’s epic voyages of exploration and mapping of the Chesapeake Bay region. These events marked a pivotal point in history, setting the Chesapeake Bay region on a course that would forever transform its culture, commerce, and environment. Smith’s arrival also set the stage for revolutionary political, social, and economic developments destined to stimulate further European settlement in North America.
