Explain Why Did So Many Colonists Die In Jamestown

Jamestown was a colony that was established along and around the James River or current day Virginia, by England in 1607. They believed that coming here would bring them riches, be able to convert Natives to Christianity. But between 1607-1610 lots of the colonists did not survive to live a long life in the New World. I believe the reason several Jamestown colonists died was due to the lack of food, lack of water, and the conflict with the Native Americans.

One of the reasons that so many colonists did not survive was due to the lack of food. “The Lost Colony and Jamestown Drought,” shows the estimated amount of rain that Jamestown received over the years. Since rain affects plant growth, plants were not able to forw. This meant there was not a lot of plants or crops around. Ivor Neol Hume explains how the

Dennis B. Blanton describes how causing more and more freshwater is becoming brackish causing fresh water to become scarce. To be able to get drinking water, the colonists dug wells across the land. However, the wells became vulnerable to drought and salt water intrusion. He also talks about how the transition affects the water. Due to the saltwater transition, and the filth within the water, the water was the reason for many diseases. These were diseases that the English were not used to. For the English to be infected, it must have been awful with the lack of resources the English collected. “The Lost Colony and Jamestown Droughts,” represents the amount of rain received every year based on the average amount of rainfall. It also shows the droughts that happened in those few years. On top of the brackish waters and the position of the water transition, the drought just made the colonists’ fresh water supply even smaller. This is why I think a lack of fresh water was one of the reasons the English colonists did not