Jamestown Drought Dbq

What was happening to the colonists in 1607? Death. In 1607, one hundred and ten Englishmen arrived in, Jamestown, what is now Virginia. Between 1607 and 1612 many colonists died. To this day this question stands: why did so many people die? There are many reasons that contribute, such as drought, disease, and attacks by the Native Americans. Documents and passages point to drought as a cause of death in the new world. In 1605, Jamestown was going through one of int longest periods of drought. Document B shows the yearly rainfall from 1506 to 1604 and throughout those times rainfall is mainly below average; within the times 1605 and 1612, the amount of rainfall fell dramatically, this is also the time when colonists were coming to the new world. The drought had caused a lack of resources, like fresh water and food sources. Document A explains the fresh water had become brackish. This caused the colonists not to have drinking water, so shallow wells were dug. However, these wells were vulnerable to drought. …show more content…
Disease in Jamestown was becoming widespread because of the environment. In document A, it states “historian Carvill V Earle attributed...disease in the early years… filth introduced into the river tended to fester rather than flush away.” This caused the waters to be contaminated which caused sickness. From 1607 to 1610, one hundred and eighteen colonists died from disease. The timeline shown in document E tells the reason for death and other important things going on between 1607 to 1610. It shows 78 people died between 1607 and 1608 and 110 from 1609 to 1610, just from