History of Virginia - Essay Example

The stay of the Virginia Company in Jamestown was characterized by many ups and downs and it was very difficult for them to establish stable relations with the natives of the region who were the Indians under the command of their leader Powhatan1. When the settlers arrived they were not aware of all the troubles that they were going to face. They did not make a wise decision in choosing their location because it was surrounded by a swampy area and it did not provide them access to proper water and also they did not realize that the area that they had chosen was not occupied by Indians but still they could easily reach there.

The settlers did not have a very high opinion of the Indians from the beginning and they thought that they did not deserve any rights because they were uncivilized people with no religion. So even before they had set a firm ground in Jamestown they had no plans of proper negotiations with the Indians. 2The Indians had a different thought about the settlers. They wanted to cooperate with them and in return get access to modern weapons and tools for themselves. The colonists should have realized that to make a good place for themselves they should have availed the opportunity and they should have shaken hands with the Indians and worked in collaboration with them giving the Indians what they needed and taking from them the things required by them.

The Indians soon realized that the motive of the settlers was to get hold of their land. As soon as the Indians got to know of their ill plans they started attacking the settlers. Thus the death toll of the colonists rose and within a few moths their number decreased to less than half. Seeing the capabilities of john smith the company made him the next governor after a few months.During the time period when everything was under john smith the relations between the Indians and the colonists took a very good turn.

At first when john smith took over he also used oppressive means against the Indians but soon he was advised by Ocanindge who was the Indian presenter to think about the outcome if the Indians would stop working on their fields. He advised him to work in collaboration with the Indians for the betterment of both the communities3. The turning point actually came when John smith and some of his fellows came under the attack of the Indians. In this attack most of the men who accompanied john smith were killed and he was made captive by the Indians.

The leader of the Indians who was Powhatan ordered the killing of john smith but he was saved by the leader's daughter Pocahontas and following this event many things changed for the good. The Indians in return for modernized tools from the English provided them with crops and food for them. This did not last for a very long time because in 1609 when the area was hit by harsh winter. The Indians knew about such conditions and they had kept food reserves for themselves. Thus now they became unable to supply the settlers with food and the relations between the two sides became tense again.

The settlers used oppressive forces against the Indians and the Indians replied in a similar manner. This continued for a long time. The settlers had stayed there for a very long t