▁w ilder ness ▁front ier . ▁As ▁a ▁consequence ▁of ▁his ▁vision ▁and ▁aud acity , ▁there ▁was ▁now ▁a ▁land ▁free ▁from ▁k ings , ▁a ▁vast ▁continent ▁for ▁new ▁beg inn ings . ▁In ▁the ▁years ▁following ▁the ▁Revolution ▁the ▁po etic ▁device ▁" Col umb ia " ▁was ▁used ▁as ▁a ▁symbol ▁of ▁both ▁Columb us ▁and ▁America . ▁King ' s ▁College ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁changed ▁its ▁name ▁in ▁ 1 7 9 2 ▁to ▁Columbia , ▁and ▁the ▁new ▁capit ol ▁in ▁Washington ▁was ▁subt itled ▁District ▁of ▁Columbia . ▁ ▁Jam est own ▁ ▁In ▁May ▁ 1 6 0 7 , ▁the ▁Susan ▁Constant , ▁the ▁Disc overy , ▁and ▁the ▁God speed ▁sa iled ▁through ▁Ch es ape ake ▁Bay ▁and ▁thirty ▁miles ▁up ▁the ▁James ▁River ▁sett lers ▁built ▁Jam est own , ▁Virginia , ▁England ' s ▁first ▁permanent ▁col ony . ▁To o ▁late ▁in ▁the ▁season ▁to ▁plant ▁cro ps , ▁many ▁were ▁not ▁acc ustom ed ▁to ▁manual ▁labor . ▁Within ▁a ▁few ▁months , ▁some ▁sett lers ▁died ▁of ▁fam ine ▁and ▁disease . ▁Only ▁thirty - e ight ▁made ▁it ▁through ▁their ▁first ▁year ▁in ▁the ▁New ▁World . ▁Captain ▁John ▁Smith , ▁a ▁pir ate ▁turned ▁gentleman ▁turned ▁the ▁sett lers ▁into ▁for agers ▁and ▁successful ▁trad ers ▁with ▁the ▁Native ▁Americans , ▁who ▁taught ▁the ▁English ▁how ▁to ▁plant ▁corn ▁and ▁other ▁cro ps . ▁Smith ▁led ▁exped itions ▁to ▁explore ▁the ▁regions ▁surrounding ▁Jam est