The First American Defectors: Jamestown Runaways to the Powhatan Paramountcy

Abstract

The harsh situation faced by English colonists upon arrival in Jamestown included starvation, disease and misery. This thesis sets out to answer the question: rather than face starvation and the other hardships at Jamestown, why did not more English settlers at Jamestown run away to live among the nearby Native American groups. It is argued that the common English settlers at Jamestown, unlike their elite leaders, indeed did attempt to run away to the Powhatans with some regularity, but were rebuffed in all but a few of cases. Indeed, while upper-class English settlers might not run away, lower class settlers often did. Moreover, it appears that it was the Powhatan, not the English who prevented their being more English runaways. This thesis rests on evidence gathered from English primary source accounts from the Jamestown period as well as ethno-historical evidence concerning the society and culture of the Powhatans.