National Geographic - The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown

They do a really good job describing the misery at the Jamestown settlement.

This DVD is a view of Jamestown through archeological review of the site. The dangers they encountered are determined through archeological findings. They were able to determine a person's standing in the community and the role/s they played in the settlement of Jamestown. Forensic findings tell the story of Jamestown, Virginia...how they lived and how they died.

The production values aren't the greatest -- it's a low-budget film with historical re-enactments made with underpaid (volunteer?) actors, cheap costumes, and repetitive editing. It drips with macabre, over-dramatic music like so many of the cable channel shows that want to make creepy mysteries out of scientific or historical stories.But the subject matter is fascinating, the exteriors and landscapes very beautiful, and the core script extremely well-written. The story is a careful build of archaeological excavations, historical re-interpretations, and other discoveries and facts that lead to a compelling conclusion about the REAL reason the faltering early colonists finally were able to get a toehold in the New World. The history buff in me was intrigued enough by the story and facts that I was able to overlook the cheesy elements.

I strongly recommend this video to teachers who are covering early colonial American history in their classes. It's a great supplement to the lesson. My students were very attentive while watching this video. The acting along with the excavation sites makes everything come alive for them. They were inquisitive and always engaged. My students are eighth and tenth graders.

This book, the Jamestown Project by Kupperman, is so terrific I have not had opportunity to read the other books on this subject I ordered.It is amazing. I recommend it as a vital read to every citizen of the United States of America.Yours,Susan Moore Teller  The Jamestown Project

My students loved this video and asked to watch it again. They found it much more interesting to study Jamestown after viewing this.

National Geographic's "The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown" is a fast-paced, and engaging DVD that keeps young and old viewers attentive. The dramatizations and recreations are just graphic enough to let you know how dangerous life in the colony was (sickness, hunger, paranoia, fear of Spain). The risks these people took to begin an English colony in the "New World" are made clear. The only thing really missing from this DVD is some background about prior English/Native American interactions (dating back before the Lost Colony at Roanoke Island) that would explain why the English had misconceptions about the Native Americans, and why the Native Americans were a threat to their lives from the very beginning. This is a great teaching tool for students 5th grade and up.

Showed this to my social studies classes and they LOVED it! Couldn't wait to return to class to watch the rest of the documentary...and these were fifth graders. Well done!!