The Jamestown Experiment: The Remarkable Story of the Enterprising Colony and the Unexpected Results That Shaped America - Softcover

"The "Jamestown Experiment" is written more like a novel than many historical works I've read, so it was a fast read for me. There are many memorable characters in the book, including John Smith, whom the author brought vividly to life." - Internet Review of Books

"Williams fills his absorbing new effort (The Pox and the Covenant) with outrageously colorful characters, including arrogant politicos, mutinous citizens, treacherous Indians, their equally cruel white counterparts, and "gentleman adventurers" aplenty." - Publishers Weekly

"The first question most readers may ask is 'Do we need another book on the history of Jamestown and early Virginia?' Read on, or better yet, read the book to find out what the organizers and early settlers brought to the shore that helped make the United States what it is today." - Virginia Gazette

"Author, educator, and lecturer Williams writes that while the first permanent English colony at Jamestown seemed doomed to fail for a variety of well-known reasons, the colonists finally found the solutions to put the colony on track for success. The book tells the story of the events and people responsible for the Jamestown turnaround and why, over time, it has had such a strong influence on the shaping of a distinct American character." - Book News

" "The "Jamestown Experiment"" is a fine read of history and early European American encounters." - Midwest Book Review

The American dream was built along the banks of the James River in Virginia.

The settlers who established America's first permanent English colony at Jamestown were not seeking religious or personal freedom. They were comprised of gentlemen adventurers and common tradesmen who risked their lives and fortunes on the venture and stood to reap the rewards-the rewards of personal profit and the glory of mother England. If they could live long enough to see their dream come to life.

The Jamestown Experiment is the dramatic, engaging, and tumultuous story of one of the most audacious business efforts in Western history. It is the story of well-known figures like John Smith setting out to create a source of wealth not bestowed by heritage. As they struggled to make this dream come true, they would face relentless calamities, including mutinies, shipwrecks, native attacks, and even cannibalism. And at every step of the way, the decisions they made to keep this business alive would not only affect their effort, but would shape the future of the land on which they had settled in ways they never could have expected.

The Jamestown Experiment is the untold story of the unlikely and dramatic events that defined the "self-made man" and gave birth to the American dream.

Tony Williams taught history and literature for ten years, and has a master's in American history from Ohio State University. He wrote Hurricane of Independence and The Pox and the Covenant, and is currently a full-time author who lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, with his wife and children.