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.
