Former Pirate Who Chose the Location of Jamestown
Christopher Newport was a former pirate who sailed with Sir Francis Drake on Drake's famous raid on Cadiz, Spain. He is best known as the Captain of the Susan Constant, one of three boats that first sailed to Jamestown in 1607. It is thought that he chose the site of the Jamestown colony.
The Lifeline of Jamestown
During the initial settlement period at Jamestown, Newport became the colony's "lifeline," making several trips back and forth between Jamestown and England delivering vital supplies and additional settlers to the beleaguered colony. It was Christopher Newport who brought an injured John Smith back to Europe in 1609. Later that year, a new ship under his command, the "Sea Voyage," ran aground on Bermuda during a hurricane. Newport and 150 settlers remained stuck on the island for more than a year before making it once again to Jamestown. On his last voyage to Jamestown in 1610, Newport brought John Rolfe. Rolfe would engineer a new kind of tobacco that would become the key to the colony's eventual prosperity.
Discussion Questions
- Why was Newport’s ability to travel between England and Jamestown important to the colony?
- How did the Bermuda shipwreck interrupt Newport’s mission without ending it?
- What details support describing Newport as a “lifeline” for Jamestown?
- How did Newport’s voyages connect him to other important people in Jamestown’s history?