90 Miles From Tyranny : September 10, 1608: John Smith Is Elected To Lead Jamestown

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Thursday, September 10, 2026

September 10, 1608: John Smith Is Elected To Lead Jamestown






On September 10, 1608, John Smith (explorer) was elected president of the governing council at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America. [1, 2]

Why He Was Chosen
  • Survival skills: Smith helped the struggling colony survive its difficult early months by trading with local Native American tribes for food.
  • Exploration: He mapped the Chesapeake Bay and gathered vital local knowledge.
  • Popularity: Colonists trusted his organizational abilities during a time of disease and starvation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Actions and Rules
  • Strict discipline: He introduced the famous rule, “He that will not work shall not eat”.
  • Infrastructure: Under his leadership, settlers built better defenses, planted crops, and dug a new well. [1, 2, 3]

  • The Outcome
  • Colony survival: His firm leadership kept Jamestown alive and functioning.
  • Departure: In late 1609, a gunpowder accident badly burned Smith, forcing him to return to England. He never returned to Virginia. [1, 2, 3]


More This Day In History:

June 26, 1948, the United States launched the Berlin Airlift, known as "Operation Vittles"
June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand Is Assassinated
June 30, 1908 The Tunguska explosion (or Tunguska event)
July 1, 1863: The Battle Of Gettysburg Begins
July 2, 1937 Amelia Earhart disappears
July 3, 1775: George Washington Takes Command Of The Continental Army
July 4, 1776: The Declaration Of Independence Is AdoptedJuly 13, 1949: Pope Pius XII excommunicates all communist Catholics
July 17, 1918: The Romanov Family Is Executed By Communists
July 19, 1799: The Rosetta Stone Is Discovered
July 21, 1861: The First Battle of Bull Run
July 22, 1298: William Wallace Is Defeated At The Battle Of Falkirk
July 25, 1898 - U.S. forces invade Puerto Rico
July 26, 1847 - Liberia proclaimed its independence: Wakanda Realized.
July 29, 1588: The Spanish Armada Is Defeated
August 3, 1492: Christopher Columbus Sets Sail For The New World
August 4, 1790: Alexander Hamilton creates Coast Guard to intercept smugglers that avoided Tariffs
August 5, 1620: The Mayflower Makes Its Failed First Attempt To Depart England
August 12, 1898: Armistice ends the Spanish-American War
August 13, 1521: The Aztec Capital Falls To Hernán Cortés
August 14, 1945: Japan’s surrender made public on Victory over Japan Day, (V-J Day).
August 15, 1914: The Panama Canal officially opened
August 16, 1858: The First Transatlantic Telegraph Is SentAugust 18, 1920: DISASTER - Women Win The Right To Vote In The United States
August 21, 1992 - The Ruby Ridge Standoff
August 22, 1791: Haitian Revolution Murders all the whites
August 24, 1814: British Forces Burn The White House
August 27, 410 A.D.: King Alaric's Visigoths Sack Rome
September 1, 1939: Nazi Germany Invades Poland starting World War II
September 1, 2004: Radical Islamist separatists attack the Beslan school in Russia in a holy war between Muslims and infidels.
September 2, 31 BC: Octavian defeated Mark Antony decisively at the Battle of Actium, off the western coast of Greece.
September 2, 1945: World War II officially ended when Japan signed the formal Instrument of Surrender
September 3, 1783: The Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American Revolutionary War



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