Jamestown, settled in 1607, became the first permanent English settlement in the New World. In the settlement’s early years, however, its future looked about as promising as England’s first attempt at a colony Roanoke which had disappeared. More than half of the original 144 colonists died within the first year. Many died from disease or were killed by Indians, but most died of starvation. The problem was that most of the colonists were gentlemen and were not used to the hard physical labor a colony needed to survive. When he took over Jamestown in 1608, Captain John Smith put all of the colonists, regardless of class, to work. When some complained that they were gentlemen and could not farm or clear land, Smith told them “Those who will not work, will not eat.”
Short Essay Writing Question:
Do you think that Captain Smith was fair to insist that all colonists work?
Do you think such a rule as “Those who do not work, will not eat” should be
put into effect today? Please explain your answer with supporting details.
