Causes Of Jamestown Death

Death. Death surrounds the mystery of Jamestown in its early ages, specifically from 1607 to 1611. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the “New World”. Why did so many people die from 1607 to 1611? I believe that so many colonists died in Jamestown between 1607 to 1611 because of the environment, the relations between the colonists and Indians, and above all the colonists’ poor choices. My first piece of evidence is the environment. The position where Jamestown is in a saltwater transition, and the document also states that because of the tides, the human waste festered, making the saltwater contaminated (Document A). Some more evidence is the lack of food abundance, making it harder to fish or hunt (Document A). Another

The wells the colonists made were risky because of the high chance of salt water intrusion. Also, you have to remember the human waste festering in the water, and even when the tides rush in it doesn’t move the waste out. Therefore, there could be diseases in the water, which could kill the colonists. Remember that the people in the 1600s could not filter water like we can so the colonists (because of the lack of freshwater) had to drink the contaminated water, which could lead to death. This is why I believe that one of the major factors of the colonists deaths is the environment.

I believe that another major factor to the colonists deaths was the relationship between the colonists and Indians. In the Hook article it shows a map of the Indian (specifically Powhatan) and English settlements (Hook). There are seventeen major Indian settlements, but there were probably more minor Indian settlements sprinkled in the area (Hook). The English had eight settlements, including forts. Six of these eight English settlements were forts, so you can see how they wanted to be protected (Hook). I also believe that the English were a little too confident because they settled in a place with

I believe that so many colonists died because of the environment, the relationship between the colonists and Indians , and above all the colonists’ poor choices. The colonists did not choose to have a drought but instead of staying in Jamestown so long, the colonists could have moved. Instead of taking the Indian territory, the colonists could have landed somewhere else. And instead of making all of those poor choices, they could have made better decisions, but they did not. But even though the colonists made bad choices, they made us who we are as Americans today. For all we know, there might not have even been a United States of America without those