Jamestown

Why Did So Many Colonists Die? Jamestown had been one the first English settlements in the New World. The English had settled here before the Pilgrims’ predestination. Jamestown is known for its hard living conditions and its difficulty to grow crops. During the spring of 1607, King James I sent out over 100 passengers to sail into the Chesapeake Bay. John Smith was a dominant figure that helped the colonist get through their first year in the wilderness. But as time went by, not all of those settlers would be alive. The environment and climate, food source, and different occupations were the few reasons why so many colonists died during 1607-1612. The English settlers settled in James River, known as Jamestown, because it has met the requirements of the London Company instructions. They settled, not knowing that the environment in Jamestown would be tough. Jamestown had brackish water, water that had become salty over time. The water had become brackish due to the moon causing water waves to move and eventually those tides took over their fresh water. The environment of Jamestown was also affected due to many settlers dumping their waste in the water thinking it would flush away, but in reality it would just sit there, causing the water to become fester and making people sick. Document A describes how Jamestown’s environment became a hard obstacle. Although John Smith was a leader, he was not able to prevent the settlers from becoming sick. Sir Thomas Gates and other survivors from the Sea Ventures arrived at Jamestown from Bermuda and found the 60 remaining colonist at their death points. Document E describes the chronology of English Mortality. The numbers and cause of settler deaths in 1609 were caused because of bad weathers and diseases. During 1607 and 1608, a variety of settlers died because they were killed by Indians, and about 50 died because of the towns’ diseases. During the period of 1609, Jamestown colony almost failed again. John Smith had