In the first permanent European settlement in North America, Jamestown, over 400 people died within the course of 3 years. Why was this? Jamestown was the first permanent European settlement in North America, making it the birthplace of civilization here in America. Since it was the first settlement the colonists faced many problems. They were sent here by investors from the London Company, hoping to create a colony with lots of profit. However, that was not the reality; as many colonists died within the first 3 years. So why did this happen? Why did so many colonists die at Jamestown? The reason so many colonists died at Jamestown were a bad environment, inferior Indian relations, and poor planning, which led to a lack of food and the spread of disease.
The environment at …show more content…
In document A, it stated that the tide caused saltwater to rush in, making the water from the James River undrinkable. In addition to this, historian Carville V. Earle explained how when the colonists of Jamestown tried to dispose of their waste in the river, it did not flush away, but instead festered and infected the water. This contributed to the spread of disease in the colony and made life very hard for the colonists, as they didn’t have any water with the drought at hand. In document B, the rings of trees in Jamestown showed that there was a severe drought from 1606-1612, the years in which the Jamestown colony was first being developed. The drought meant there was a lack of water, and consequently a lack of crops and food. In document E, it stated that in 1610, 110 colonists died from famine. This meant that the environment did in fact cause a lot of colonists to die at Jamestown and was one of the leading causes of mortality. The lack of food was also partly caused by not
The environment at …show more content…
In document A, it stated that the tide caused saltwater to rush in, making the water from the James River undrinkable. In addition to this, historian Carville V. Earle explained how when the colonists of Jamestown tried to dispose of their waste in the river, it did not flush away, but instead festered and infected the water. This contributed to the spread of disease in the colony and made life very hard for the colonists, as they didn’t have any water with the drought at hand. In document B, the rings of trees in Jamestown showed that there was a severe drought from 1606-1612, the years in which the Jamestown colony was first being developed. The drought meant there was a lack of water, and consequently a lack of crops and food. In document E, it stated that in 1610, 110 colonists died from famine. This meant that the environment did in fact cause a lot of colonists to die at Jamestown and was one of the leading causes of mortality. The lack of food was also partly caused by not