More than half of the people in Jamestown died in the first years of settlement. Jamestown, Virginia was a destination for 105 English men. Although they decided on this colony it was not the best choice due to the fact over 80% died. Early Jamestown: Why did so many colonists die? In early Jamestown, many colonists died due to these reasons: the brackish water, lack of food, bad weather, Native American raids, and diseases. The first years of Jamestown were awfully tough for the colonists, who were trying to break away from England.
The colonists were devastated with the tragedies of Jamestown. In March of 1607, located in a quiet little colony called Jamestown, Virginia, many unfortunate events took place. Many colonists died from the brackish water, the lack of available food, the horrid drought and fires in the summer, the savage native americans that raided Jamestown, and diseases such as frostbite that killed one too many. The colonists settled in Jamestown because the locals of England wanted to move to the new world to get away from King James I’s ruling in England. wanted to get away from the overpriced taxations. Tea, a popular drink of England, cost much more than it is supposed to be. Unfortunately, the king’s rules still applied when they were in the new world. Little did they know they were entering into a more dreadful situation. It was horrid because it is conditions that are not very good.
Initially, so many colonists died because of the brackish water from the tainted river. According to the DBQ Packet, “Because the adjacent river and creeks became brackish as water levels rose, reliable sources of fresh water would have been scarce by the 17th century.” Because the water became scarce and undrinkable as winter was coming, the settlers started dying from a lack of fresh water. According to history.com, “drinking water was fouled by salt, arsenic, human waste or a medley of these contaminants.” Brackish water is the mix of freshwater (from a stream) and saltwater (from the ocean). The people of Jamestown had no other water sources, and because it was getting scarce, they drank the brackish water that killed a lot of their people. The brackish water was their only water source left, so the english colonists were definitely not in a comfortable position. They hesitated getting dehydrated so their mids led them to unsanitary water.
Secondly, a lot of settlers from Jamestown perished from crop failures. According to Britannica, “The tribes under his rule stopped bartering for food and carried out attacks on English parties that came in search of trade.” This was because the tribe of Powhatan cut off the food supply when Jamestown people went hunting, so the colonists were left with squalid food conditions in which they suffered greatly from. According to Britannica, “As the food stocks ran out, the settlers ate the colony’s animals—horses, dogs, and cats—and then turned to eating rats, mice, and shoe leather.” The people of Jamestown were starving with no food. So they started to eat things that no one would ever eat. It is crazy to think about a person eating a house pet, like a cat or dog, or even a hostile reptile like a water moccasin.
Thirdly, the foul weather of Jamestown left some colonists in the grave. According to PBS, “The explorers, funded by a group of London entrepreneurs that were called the Virginia Company, could not have anticipated the fate that actually awaited most of them: drought, hunger, illness, and death.” That was because drought was a big issue in Jamestown, whereas the fires were caused by the drought. It killed many crops, that led to the settler’s death, because the crops were one of the only food sources they had. Settlers of Jamestown also didn’t prepare for the winter, so many of them perished. They did not do the necessary work in the springtime, such as digging wells and building up food stores. According to PBS, “Eventually, more colonists and new supplies were brought from Britain, even though Jamestown had failed already from the fire that happened.” This showed that a drought caused the fire that burned down all of Jamestown, which is a small fort, instead of a large town. The weather, especially drought conditions, put Jamestown and all of its people in danger.
Fourthly, the Native Americans that raided Jamestown were a big threat to the settlers. According to Britannica, “the colony had endured a surprise attack and had managed to drive the attackers away only with cannon fire from the ships.” This showed that the Native Americans were sneaky and didn’t want the settlers to be there. Shortly after arriving, the colonists did not have a chance to even unpack their muskets in order to defend themselves against the Powhatan Indians. In addition, the settlers were posing a threat to the Native Americans because they were hunting for food (which the Indians called game) in the same territory in which they lived. According to Britannica, “encounters between the colonists and the tribes turned violent, and the Native Americans occasionally killed colonists who strayed alone outside the fort.” This proved that the Native Americans were fierce, and the colonists could not trust them. The settlers of Jamestown were not a big threat to the Native Americans, but the indians still did not want them around. In addition, they were ruled by the great Chief Powhatan, who was not a good person overall. He enjoyed killing the colonists for entertainment. The horrible Native Americans of Powhatan kept attacking the local people of Jamestown, so they didn’t have access to food sources. They were no longer able to hunt in the forests or fish in the rivers.
Lastly, horrible diseases that they got from the rivers, sick settlers, or even Native Americans were fatal. According to PBS, “In their first winter, more than half of the colonists perished from famine and illness.” The rivers were full of salt and arsenic. The settlers also died from dysentery and fevers. The most common disease in the colony of Jamestown was smallpox, a disease contracted from other sick settlers. The colonists spread diseases, such as smallpox, to the Native Americans when they came close to Jamestown, which killed many of them. According to history.com, “diseases brought from the Old World decimated the Native American population.” The native americans were getting sickness too, from attacking settlers. The settlers brought bad diseases, especially the new arriving ones. Diseases were horrible back then because there was no cure and they were easy to aquire in the winter.
To conclude, in early Jamestown, the colonists quickly died because of famine, the undrinkable brackish water containing salt and arsenic, the drought conditions, diseases, and the brutality of the Native American tribe of Powhatan. The colonists wanted a better life away from England, and did not expect such a miserable and fatal start to a life in America. Sure, Jamestown was tough with a low survival chance, but remember, this was one of the first steps of discovering America. Without the colonists’ settlement in Jamestown, a new world away from England’s rule might never have taken place.
Works Cited
- Cohen, Jennie. “Did Jamestown’s Settlers Drink Themselves to Death?” History Stories. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://www.history.com/news/did-jamestowns-settlers-drink-themselves-to-death> DBQ Packet
- “Death at Jamestown”. Secrets of the Dead: Unearthing History. 2002. Transcript. PBS. 27 Feb. 2018. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/death-jamestown-episode/1432/>
- Jarus, Owen. “Jamestown: Facts and History.” Live Science. 22 Dec. 2016. <https://www.livescience.com/38595-jamestown-history.html>
- “Jamestown Colony.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2016. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 25 July 2016 <https://www.britannica.com/place/Jamestown-Colony>
- “Early Jamestown Settlement.” Encyclopedia Virginia. 2014. Encyclopedia Virginia Online. 30 May 2014 <https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Jamestown_Settlement_Early>.
- Wood, Karenne. “A Short History of Jamestown.” National Park Service. 26 Feb. 2015. <https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm>