Jamestown Live

In 1607, the very essence of modern America took root on the banks of the James River at Jamestown, Virginia. In 2007, America's first permanent English settlement turns 400 years old.

On November 9th, 2006 students from all 50 states and across the globe gathered ONLINE AND IN PERSON to participate in the educational webcast, "JAMESTOWN LIVE! Experience the Journey that Changed the World." This once-in-a-lifetime event brought to life the important history and legacies of Jamestown through creative programming geared to an online and satellite audience of students in grades 4-8.

You can view Jamestown Live! online by clicking on the following version that is most appropriate for you:

THE CONTENT OF JAMESTOWN LIVE!

This one-hour, fast-paced program hosted by veteran journalist and PBS senior correspondent Gwen Ifill, delivers key historic information on the founding and significance of Jamestown in an engaging and interactive format. The content focuses on three of Jamestown's enduring legacies -- exploration, cultural diversity, and democracy. Each theme is presented by education experts, historians and authors during informative interviews conducted by student reporters.

Expert interviews include:

  • Dr. James Horn, author of "A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America" and director of research at Colonial Williamsburg
  • Stephen Adkins, Chief of Virginia's Chickahominy Indian Tribe
  • Dr. Rex Ellis, co-chair of the Jamestown 2007 African American Advisory Council and vice president of the historic area for Colonial Williamsburg
  • Dr. William Kelso, director of archaeology at Historic Jamestowne
  • Dr. Kathryn Thornton, former NASA astronaut
  • Captain Eric Speth, captain of the replica ships at the Jamestown Settlement living-history museum
  • Bill Warder, Park Ranger, Historic Jamestowne

Audience questions, the results of online surveys and original musical interpretations of historic themes reinforce these themes.

Jamestown Live! was created with the ongoing support and oversight of educators and historians in order to ensure your standards are met.

GET THE MOST OUT OF JAMESTOWN LIVE!

  • TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS - Instructions for Windows and Mac users are provided for you and your IT/System administrator. We are proud to have The History Channel as our webcast partner for Jamestown Live!
  • JAMESTOWN - JOURNEY OF DEMOCRACY - We encourage you to register for FREE Jamestown-related education resources available from this Web site. While the webcast focuses more on upper elementary and middle school grades, JamestownJourney.org offers a wealth of Jamestown-related lessons covering numerous subjects that will engage students from Elementary through High School.
  • TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE - We teamed up with TIME for Kids to create a resource guide specifically for Jamestown Live! This FREE resource guide includes an introduction and seven lesson plans/activities.

Jamestown Live! is a signature event of America's 400th Anniversary.