Early Jamestown: Why Did So Many Colonists Die? Many problems in early Jamestown caused high death rates. Rich English men sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in search of gold in the Americas. Instead, they found harsh climates, little food, and very little water. The question is, “Why did so many Jamestown colonists die?” The answer is they died from lack of water, disease, and Indian attacks. One of the reasons so many Jamestown colonists died was because of many Indian attacks. There were many Indian tribes surrounding the colonists, making them vulnerable to attacks. “From August to October of 1610, many men were killed by the Nansemond Indians” (Fausz Document E). From the very beginning, the Indians and English were not friends.
