Paul M. Krueger

English colonists establish “James Fort,” which would become Jamestown, Virginia, the earliest permanent English settlement in the Americas.

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ㅤJamestown, established in 1607, holds the distinction of being the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Located in the Colony of Virginia, it endured initial hardships, including the devastating “Starving Time” of 1609-1610, which significantly reduced the original population of 214 settlers to a mere 60 survivors. Despite these challenges, Jamestown persevered and served as the colonial capital for over eight decades, from 1616 to 1699.

ㅤA pivotal moment in Jamestown’s history, and indeed in the history of the United States, occurred in August 1619 when a British privateer ship carrying approximately 20 enslaved Africans arrived near the colony. These individuals, forcibly removed from a Portuguese slave ship, represent the first recorded arrival of enslaved Africans to British North America. Initially subjected to a system of race-based indentured servitude, their arrival marked the grim beginnings of a centuries-long struggle for freedom and equality in the United States.