Colonial Survival Simulation

THE TASK

You will set up a colony in the New World which the Spanish are calling America. Furthermore, you will make decisions which will affect the outcome of your colony within this simulation.

But first, you need to understand a few cues and key terms.

= Write in your spiral.

= Decide as a group.

Joint-Stock Company - a business entity owned by shareholders. Each shareholder owns the portion of the company in proportion to his or her % of ownership.

Colony - a new settlement or territory established and governed by a country in another land

Charter - a document that gives the holder the right to organize settlements in an area.

Indentured Servant - a laborer who agreed to work without pay for a certain period of time in exchange for passage to America. Indentured servants were not free until they completed their years of service.

Headright - a grant of land, usually 50 acres given to a settler, given by certain colonies and companies in the 17th and 18th centuries

British Pound - the official currency of England.

Militia - an army composed of non-professional fighters; citizens that can be called upon to enter a combat situation.

Victory!

PAGE 23

Victory

You win! With hundreds of colonial militia, you throw back the Spanish invaders. Your colony is secured and grows unhindered into the North American frontier. As more and more ships arrive from England carrying thousands of new colonists and much needed supplies, your colony expands to rival some European nations. You look to the west and wonder at the wealth, land, freedom, and adventure that await. Many have been lost in the struggle to forge a new society here in the New World. Did the ends justify the means? Much of what you have witnessed will haunt you the rest of your life. In the end, History will judge whether your decisions were right or wrong.

THE END

New Spain

PAGE 22

New Spain

As you explore southward, you run straight into trouble. Your scouts have wandered too close to the Spanish province of Florida! A small company of Spanish soldiers from New Spain march northward to burn your colony and throw you out of the New World. All the men in your colony grab their muskets. You have militia, but do you have enough men to successfully defend your colony?

Decisions

If your colony numbered 250 or more colonists when you first set sail for the New World, go to page 23.

If your colony numbered less than 250 colonists when you first set sail for the New World, go to page 24.

War with Spain

Privateers

PAGE 24

War with Spain

You have armed all your men with muskets, but your militia may be too small to stop the professional Spanish conquistadors that are advancing upon your colony. The first skirmishes have gone poorly for your side. Within a month, the Spanish will be attacking your colony. You prepare your best defense to stop them.

However, there may be help nearby, in the Caribbean Sea. For years, England has been providing letters of marque (contracts of war) to the pirates of the Caribbean to attack Spanish ships in the name of England. Perhaps you can send a ship to seek their aid. However, be forewarned that pirates are the worst sort of scoundrels and criminals; and if they choose to help, there will be a price to pay. Will you be able to afford what they demand? Or perhaps they'll rob you, take everything you have, and simply sail away. These privateers may be a greater danger than the Spanish.

________________________________________

Decisions

If you seek the questionable help of privateers, go to page 25.

If you decide that murderous pirates would be a solution worse than the problem, and you will instead fight your own battles, go to page 26.

PAGE 25

Privateers

Pirates . . . er . . . privateers come to your aid. A war galleon sails into your harbor, and the privateers unload their cannons. When the Spanish attack, they face both your militia and the pirate crew; the invading conquistadors are soundly defeated. Your colony is saved!

However, the privateers have a request; one that you must honor. They will use your colony as a safe harbor. Their dangerous business will bring unsavory characters and great risk to your growing city. Control of your colony begins to slip from your fingers. You can only wonder at the chaos, dangers, and wealth that they will bring your way.

Still your colony has survived its infancy, and as more ships arrive from England, you look towards the future. What lies west beyond the furthest limits of your colony? Will there be more war? Will there be more wealth? Certainly, there will be more adventure. You take a deep breath, and taste the freedom of the New World.

THE END

Page 21 Blue Ridge

Your scouts explore for the rest of the year into the deep wilderness. Some never return. None of your scouts are able to locate a Northeast Passage into the Pacific Ocean and on to China, but they do find a vast mountain range that seems to turn blue in the dawn and the dusk. You give these mountains, which the Indians call the Appalachians, a nickname - the Blue Ridge. These mountains will form the western boundary of your colony. Maybe in future years, you will be able to explore further West and find the Pacific Ocean.

Decisions

Go to page 12

Blue Ridge

The Agony of Defeat

Exploration

Page 18: The Agony of Defeat

The fighting goes on for weeks, but you are clearly losing. There are now more dead than alive. You eat and sleep with your musket close at hand, but you know it's only a matter of time. All the men in your colony are forced to ban together as militia, which are citizen-soldiers; but this last desperate measure is too little, too late.

You feel dead inside as you surrender to the inevitable. Perhaps the hardest thing is the knowledge that you are the invader here. You regret not seeking peace when you had the chance, maybe things would have turned out different. The supply ship from England won't arrive for several more months. You wonder whether or not they'll find the remains of your colony.

THE END

Page 19 Exploration

Your colony has survived much uncertainty and hardship, and the time has come to expand your holdings. Captain John Smith of Jamestown has been mapping the Atlantic coastline, finding many incredible places suitable for future colonization. Now it is your turn to send scouts into the North American wilderness to map beyond the safe boundaries of your growing colony. What will you find in that vast wild? What dangers lurk in the unknown? Where are England's great enemies - the Spanish and the French? Despite any trepidations and fears, you must forge ahead.

Decision...

If your colony was built anywhere above the latitude above 35 North, then go to page 21.

On your trip across the Atlantic, if your ships had been blow off course far to the north to an "uncharted bay," then go to page 21.

If your colony was built at or below the latitude 35 North, go to page 22.

Prosperity

Page 12 Prosperity

Your first year has ended successfully. In spite of war and other hardships, you have created a new foothold for the English to settle the New World. Over the following years thousands of arriving colonists will begin new lives in your colony, bringing their hopes and dreams with them. Your crops are successful and trade with England continues to increase. Your joint-stock company has made money and the King should be very pleased with your efforts. Yet, as you survey the maps of your vast colony, you stop to think about the native tribes who lost their homes and lands. You mourn the many dead. Was it all worth it?

THE END

Colony in Flames

PAGE 26

A Colony in Flames

With a great sense of defiance and pride, you and your men will stand their own ground and defend the colony. The battle is glorious and your militia fights like heroes; until that point where you are overrun by the Spanish. Your militia is defeated. The colony is set ablaze, and the few survivors flee into the wilds.

Your dying thoughts are full of regrets. However, though you die and your colony has failed, you know in your heart that England will send more colonists and settle the New World. One day, North America will be British, and your sacrifices will not have been in vain.

THE END

The Lost Colony

Question of Expansion

PAGE 11

Lost Colony

From a safe distance, the Native Americans watch your colony dwindle and die. They wonder from where you came that you lacked the basic skills necessary to survive in such a bountiful land. As winter comes and blankets the countryside, all traces of your colony are covered up and lost forever.

The following summer, a supply ship arrives from England, but after a month of fruitless searching, they give up and return to London. Those family and friends back home will long wonder what happened to "the Lost Colony."

THE END

PAGE 20

Question of Expansion

You are forced to institute "Martial Law." Every adult male in the colony now serves in the militia. Concerns of family and personal freedom come second to musket drills and guard duty. The toll upon your colony's social freedoms is considerable, and you can only wonder at the long term consequences. As the war continues, the Indians are slowly pushed back from their land.

Much of the first year has gone by. You and your colonists survived much suffering, made unforeseen sacrifices, and overcame many obstacles. Now that things are beginning to seem stable, you face a dangerous choice. Beyond the boundaries of your colony is the great unknown of the North American continent. What lies out there? King James is hoping to discover a Northwest Passage - a sea route leading to China. Is it worth the costs and risks of exploring into the wilderness, or should you conserve your resources and focus upon strengthening your colony?

Decision...

If you wish to brave the dangers and explore the great unknown, go to page 19.

If you choose to do the safe thing and spend your time and resources nurturing your colony, go to page 12.

Failed Colony

Got Soldiers?

Page 15

Failed Colony

Your colony has no way to make a profit this year, and your investors will lose faith in your company once they learn that there is no gold. Meanwhile the colonists are losing heart and work productivity suffers. It is apparent that everything is falling apart; discipline is nonexistent; and morale is at an all time low. The colony has failed. The best that you can hope for is to survive long enough for a supply ship to arrive and take you back to England.

THE END

Page 17

Got Soldiers

The war escalates. You are outnumbered. Worst than that, your enemy can slip through the woods as quietly as ghosts. It is only by the cannon and musket that you can hope to win. Did you manage to bring any soldiers with you?

Decision...

If you hired at least one squad of soldiers (15 men), then go to page 20.

If not, then go to page 18.

PAGE 9

THANKSGIVING

The native tribes accept your overtures of friendship and they work with you - teaching you what crops to grow and what to hunt. Hand and hand you and your new neighbors see your colony through its critical fledgling year. It's a time of peace and plenty and at the year's end you hold a big feast. All are invited to attend.

However there is a problem - your colony can not grow any larger, and to do so will betray your friendship with the Indians and may lead to war. Yet new ships are beginning to arrive from England bringing more colonists eager for property and a fresh start. The demand for more land will be overwhelming. What will happen if you begin to take territory away from the Indians? You shutter to think.

Yes, the future is uncertain, but for now at least, your colony is safe, well fed, and cozy.

THE END

Thanksgiving

Page 13

The Spanish have taken shiploads of gold and wealth from South America, but there seems to be no gold anywhere around your colony. A crisis looms ahead. If there is no gold, then how will your colony make a profit? If you make no profit, then your joint-stock company will go bankrupt. Is there any other way to make money before it's too late?

Decision...

If your colony had purchased tobacco seed before leaving London, go...

If your colony did not purchase tobacco seed, go...

The Search for Gold

Starving Time

PAGE 8

Starving Time

Your lack of supplies quickly proves to be your downfall. Your buildings are inadequate, but more importantly, you are quickly running out of food. You do not know your environment well enough to forage for all your colonists, and your attempts at growing crops are failing miserably. Your colony is facing starvation. What was your policy on dealing with the native tribes?

Decisions

If you decided upon a policy of "friendly cooperation," go...

If you had decided upon a policy of "indifference" or "aggression," then go...

Indian Wars

A Time of Growth

Page 7

Time of Growth

Your colony enters a period of growth. You clear away farmland and your colonists spread out into the surrounding wilderness to create homesteads. At the same time you are encroaching on land belonging to the local Indian tribes.

Should you respect their territory and slow your colony's growth? This will be necessary to foster a positive relationship with your "neighbors." On the other hand, are you here for land and profit? If so, you may want to take a more aggressive stance. So just what was your policy on dealing with the native tribes?

Decision...

If you decided upon a policy of "friendly cooperation," go to page 9.

If you decided upon a policy of "indifference"

or "aggression," then go to page 10.

PAGE 10

Indian Wars

Your encroachment onto Native American territory leads to war. Violence grows quickly as both sides start fighting over the land. Then, one terrible morning, the Indians launch a bloody assault, leaving over 35 of your colonists dead.

Now there's a shooting war outside your fort walls. Both sides become guilty of terrible brutality. Where will it end?

Decision...

If you decide to seek peace with the Native Americans, go to page 9.

If you continue to advance on tribal lands, go to page 17.

Question of Supplies

Virginia

Journal Setup

Thankfully, your navigator sets you back on course and you arrive in Virginia territory safely - though you are unwashed, ill, and half starved. You eagerly come ashore to set up your colony. The land before you is filled with opportunity, but it is also a wilderness filled with danger and the unknown.

Decision...

Your journey continues.

The weeks drag on and so does the construction, it becomes more apparent that the quality of the supplies you purchased will play an important role during the colony's survival for the first year.

Decision...

If you purchased "exceptional" supplies, go...

If you purchased "sufficient" supplies, go...

If you purchased "meager" supplies, then go...

In your journal, you will document what decisions you made and why using the following format.

Step 1: Atlantic Voyage. (Here you will briefly describe what happens during this part of your journey and tell us the decision you made and why you made that decision)

Step 2: ______________________________________________________

Step 3: ______________________________________________________

Step 4:______________________________________________________

Home Sweet Home

Now the real work begins. First you build a palisades, and then a fort. You offload the supplies into a company storehouse and the building continues. Your first cabins are made of thatch, just like back in England, but soon you take advantage of the forest looming about, and your colonists begin to construct sturdy wooden homes. Most important is the church.

Now the big question is whether your colony will be successful. How did your company plan on making money?

Decision...

If you planned on searching for gold, go...

If you planned on raising cash crops or came to the New World for religious freedom, go....

Atlantic Voyage

Skilled Labor

Page 1

It is April of 1614, and your ships are ready and the colonists are eager. After packing up the barest personal essentials, you board your ships and set sail for the New World. The voyage will take approximately four months as you sail south from England to the Canary Islands, then west along the Gulf Stream across the Atlantic. The journey however is more arduous than your worst fears.

On day 86, you run across a terrible storm, and gale force winds drive your ships every which way. Your captain and crew scurry about, frantically trying

to hold the ship together.

For five days, your ships are tossed about like children's toys, but eventually you survive the

worst of it. Mercifully the storm abates and the clouds clear. You are now off course though, and

it is up to your navigator to correct the error.

Decision...

If you have hired an expert navigator

If you decide to navigate on your own

Page 16

The American wilderness is more severe than you anticipated, and you are less prepared than you originally believed. The land looms in from all sides - untamed and unpredictable. Everyday new hardships arise and your dwindling supplies begin to worry you.

There is much work to do. You must set up mills, plant food crops, tend to livestock, and of course, continue constructing your fortifications. You did hire skilled tradesmen before leaving London, but have you hired enough to succeed?

Decisions:

If you hired at least 10 skilled tradesmen, not counting soldiers, then go to page 7.

If not, then go to page 8.

Uncharted Bay

Page 3

Without an expert navigator, you find your ships terribly off course. You head west, but your hopes of landing near Jamestown are lost. Eventually you make landfall on day 124. The bay is perfect and the land is beautiful and untamed. You have reached the New World at the latitude 45 degrees North.

You are now safe - though you are unwashed, ill, and half starved. You eagerly come ashore to set up your colony.

As you build your settlement, the question remains, should you try to contact the Virginia colony somewhere to the south? Jamestown is strongly tied to the Church of England. Are you? Did you come here for religious freedom? Maybe you are better off separated from Virginia.

Decision...

If you came to the New World for religious freedom, go to page 4.

If not, then go to page 5.

Separate Colony

Page 4

Separate Colony

Your colony was conceived with the need for religious freedom. Away from Virginia, you have a chance to start afresh in the New World. You will communicate and trade with Jamestown, but from here on out, you have founded a completely new and separate colony.

Decision...

Go to page 6

Step 3: Price of Passage

If you are paying for the passage of your colonist (they get to go free) then you must pay a price of 20 British pounds per colonist. If you are using a system of Headright/Indentured Servants then the cost to your company will be zero British pounds.

Decide on the Total cost for Passage of the Colonists

Step 5: Location, Location

Step 7: Logistics

A Grand Adventure

Step 2: All Aboard!!

At what latitude will you place your colony?

Captain John Smith is mapping the Virginia colony, but much of

the North American coastline remains unknown. You must choose

a latitude for your colony between 31 degrees N and 40 degrees N.

The Spanish are in the Florida territory, just below 30 degrees N,

and close proximity to the Spanish may lead to war; however, the

lower latitudes may also be better suited for raising cash crops or finding gold. Do not choose the same latitude as Jamestown.

London is at 52 degrees North.

Jamestown is at 37 degrees North.

The Spanish are below 30 degrees North.

Your colony will be at ______ degrees North.

A. Your Balance (Starting Money)

You must now determine the starting money you’ve gathered from investors. Refer to Question #1 under Step 1 of the simulation, and check off the appropriate box. You started your colony to . . .

Seek Religious Freedom: You start with 20,000 British Pounds

Grow Cash Crops: You start with 23,000 British Pounds

Search for Gold: You start with 27,000 British Pounds

Now, you need colonists to travel with you to the New World.

A small number (let's say, 50 people) will be inexpensive to support, but the colony may be difficult to sustain. On the other hand, a large number of colonists (such as 400 people) will be costly to support, but increases the chances of survival for your colony.

Determine how many colonists you want to take with you.

Step 6: Local Inhabitants

Step 4: Supplies

Step 1: Planning Your Colony

"Anybody

got any

Dramamine?"

One thing for sure, your colony will encounter the native people known as Indians. How do you plan on dealing with the local tribes? On one hand, the Powhatan tribe helped the people of Jamestown not to starve, but later on, fighting broke out with the Indians and hundreds of colonists have been slain.

Your policy towards the Native Americans will be one of:

Friendly Cooperation Indifference Aggression

The amount and quality of supplies with which you choose to furnish your colony will influence the strength of your colony.

The better equipped that your colony is, the more likely your colony

will be to survive. Also, better equipped colonies will tend to attract more potential colonists. However, you will have a limited amount of money; perhaps you should save money by going with bargain prices. Determine how well supplied your colony will be.

Choose your level of provisions:

Exceptional Supplies Sufficient Supplies Meager Supplies

B. How many people signed up for your colony?

The amount of people that signed onto your colony is determined by the quality of the supplies and the system of payment for passage across to the New World.

Free Passage Headright/Indentured Servants

Exceptional Supplies: 300 250

Sufficient Supplies: 200 150

Meager Supplies: 100 50

C. According to the chart above, how many colonists signed on?

D. According Step 1, how many colonists did you initially want?

E. Did enough people show up to go? Yes No

F. How many colonists are you now actually taking?

(choose the smaller number from line a and b above)

First, you will need a pencil, map pencils and a journal (your spiral) to document your journey.

Now, your colony needs a name. Decide with your group what your colony's name will be and document it by creating a cover page. Be as creative as you want.

As a joint-stock company, your investors will want to know the main reason for starting this colony. Common motives include searching for gold, raising cash crops, religious freedom, adventure, and criminal deportation. Keep in mind that your investors will be primarily interested in making a profit.

The purpose of our Colony:

Search for Gold Raise Cash Crops Religious Freedom

G. Price of the Passage across the Atlantic

If you are paying for the passage of your colonist (they get to go free) then you must pay a price of 20 British pounds per colonist. If you are using a system of Headright/Indentured Servants then the cost to your company will be zero British pounds.

Subtract the Total cost for Passage of the Colonists from your balance.

Colonial Survival Simulation

H. Price of Leasing the Ships

Your company must lease ships for the journey to the New World. A ship can hold up to 100 colonists. Each ship will cost your group 5000 British pounds.

1. Document how many ships

2. Subtract the total cost of ships from your balance.

I. Crop Expense

If your colony is growing cash crops, you will need to buy seed.

The tobacco seed will cost 1000 British Pounds. Any colony may

choose to purchase seeds.

No Seeds = 0 British pounds

Seeds = Subtract 1000 British pounds from your balance.

J. Cost of supplies

Write down the supplies that your company decided to purchase. (You’ll find this decision recorded in #4 of the first step of the simulation.)

Exceptional Quality Subtract 16,000 British Pounds from balance

Sufficient Quality Subtract 14,000 British Pounds from balance

Meager Quality Subtract 10,000 British Pounds from balance

Close Ties to Virginia

K. Protecting your Colony

In a new world, do you choose to bring soldiers? Or is it just asking

for trouble. If you chose to hire soldiers then you must hire

20 soldiers (1 squad). Your cost to hire and equip soldiers

will be 500 British pounds.

No Soldiers = 0 British pounds

Soldiers = Subtract 500 British pounds from balance

Page 5

Close Ties to Virginia

Your colony is part of the Church of England, and close contact with Jamestown will only serve to strengthen your colony. They have survived for seven years thus far, and there is much you can learn from them. You are sure that your colony and Virginia will become strongly allied.

Decision...

Go to page 6

L. Tradesmen

In order to get skilled tradesmen to your colony, you will have to employ them for their first year. You may hire as many from each profession as you think necessary for the success of your colony. Each skilled tradesman will take the place of a unskilled laborer already signed up to go. Their salaries are as follows:

One Year’s Wages (Annual Salary)

Surgeons: 60 British Pounds

Blacksmiths: 40 British Pounds

Carpenters: 40 British Pounds

Chefs: 30 British Pounds

Animal Handlers: 20 British Pounds

Skilled Farmers: 30 British Pounds

Veteran Navigators: 500 British Pounds

Document the # of each tradesmen you need for your colony.

Multiply # of each tradesmen by his annual salary.

Add all salaries together and subtract total cost of

tradesmen from your balance.

Now, look at your balance (starting money) after you have subtracted all debits (costs). If you have any money left over, then you have a "surplus". And that's a good thing. :)

If you get a negative number, then you have a "deficit". That's a bad thing. :(

You must have a surplus to set sail for the New World. If you have a negative number above, go back and cut your spending until you can afford your colony.

Negative balance = Epic Fail

Rethink it. Scroll back to step 1. Wah waaahhh.

Positive balance = Score!

Set sail. Woohoo! (Click the continue arrow)