DBQ: What Killed Off the Colonist?

Plants were withering. Illnesses were spreading. There were shouts of victory exploding from the mouths of the Indians. In the early 1600s English Settlers sailed to the land that would later be known as America, not knowing what hardships were ahead. Once they settled, the colonists came in contact with many Indian Tribes, who started out as allies, but later became enemies. Colonists were hit with droughts, on and off, for many years. Many hardships made life in Early Jamestown difficult to survive in. Now the pondering question is, why did so many colonists die? I believe so many colonists died because of the unpredictable weather, making it difficult for crops to grow; the many battles between them and the Indians, and all the diseases that were spread once they settled there.

The unstable weather affected many things associated with the food supply. According to Document B there was a very severe drought lasting around 5 years, preventing crops to grow and supplying the animals with a minimal source of water to drink. This didn’t just affect one of the colonists food sources, but two. Also stated in Document B, Jamestown experienced a time classified as (or appropriately named) the “starving time” during the winter of 1609- 1610. This period was right in the middle of the 5 year drought, which goes to show how bitter this drought really was. In Document D, it is told that a group of English colonists marched to the Indians and demanded to acquire a partial amount of their grain. When the Indians disagreed, the English became enraged and broke out in attack. Heads and limbs were slashed. In the end, the Indians were defeated, leaving the English with grain. Instead of taking it back to the other colonists though, Francis Wells, and many other colonists fled Jamestown and returned to England, leaving the remaining settlers in the hands of the Indians, and God.

That point now leads us into our next possibility of death for the settlers; the Indians. Although, when the colonists first settled, they were allies with the Powhatan Tribes, as they years went by, the bonding between them ended, and they soon became mortal enemies, engaging in battles almost every chance they got. Battles would be started, and lives would be over. In 1607, only 7 settlers were killed due to Indian attacks. In 1608 there wasn’t a single death due to Indian attacks. Until the years of 1609 to 1610, where the number of deaths increased to around 134. (Doc E) Not all of these deaths were instantaneous, many injuries that never got treated, and with that, we come to the third most likely reason of the deaths of colonists.

Diseases of all sorts killed off the many colonist of Jamestown. These diseases could have been brought over from England, introduced in America, or even possibly received through the Indian attacks. As reported by Document E, while settlers were living in Jamestown, there was a total of 2 surgeons and 2 apothecaries for around a total of 200 colonists. Obviously, not all could have gotten treated. Many of these diseases hadn’t even had a cure yet, especially the ones that originated in America. Others could have been a result of Indian attacks that weren’t fatal. Infections could have set in on the open wound and there could have been no treatment available. Eventually that infection could have spread throughout the body and cause death or a severe illness. In Document A, it states that Jamestown started out with brackish water, a mix between salt and fresh water, creating one of the only water sources unsanitary. This was caused by tides that would occur twice a day. Human waste was also disposed into this water source, and according to Carville Earle, it would just fester there. (Doc A) When colonists would drink this water they were likely to get infected in some way. Overall, this time period was prone to getting many disease, and had few ways to treat them.

The unpredictable weather, many battles between the settlers and Indians, and all the diseases that were spread once the colonists were settled in Jamestown, is why I believe so many people died. With all these possibilities for causes of death, it’s uncertain what killed off most of the colonists. This question will likely be considered many times in the future, continuing to stump us all.