Colonial America Essay

Of all the English settlers that arrived in early Jamestown from 1607 to 1611, 80% of them died. The first three ships arrived at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay bringing just over one hundred settlers who would attempt to establish the first English settlement. Fifty miles up the James River, the colonists chose a piece of land that seemed to be full of resources, and called it Jamestown. Those who study early Jamestown often wonder why so many colonists died despite the resources that were originally thought to be available. Environmental problems, lack of settler skills, and poor relationships with Native Americans were the main contributors to the high percentage of colonists’ death.

The colonists set up a colony at Jamestown to defend themselves against the Indians, and eventually Powhatan’s people came forward to open the trade of corn with the colonists. This corn eventually kept the colonist alive until another ship of more people and supplies came in. This however, did not prepare the colonists for the winter of 1609-1610, or “the starving time”, when only 60 of the original

Their enemies didn't really want them on their land so Jamestown had to build a fort to protect themselves from getting killed.

This is a secondary source document with primary evidence written in it. The general of the Indians was seeking to trade grain for Indians to last them through the winter so they wouldn't starve and die. He got a giant shipload of grain. It seems that the shipload of grain disappeared just like that due to starvation. All of the grain that they had was definitely not enough to last them through the winter until springtime. (Doc D) The document suggests at least three reasons. 1) the settlers must have been low on food. 2) the Indians had reasons to distrust the settlers for their Crewelle Dealinge and therefore might later refused request for trade and food; and 3) one group of colonist got all the traded food then left them. 299 people made it to Jamestown. Disease:84(50+6?+28=about 84 died from disease in 1607 and 1608. Indian Relations: 7(2+3+2=7 settler killings by Indians specifically mentioned in 1607 and 1608. The numbers of death by disease continued to be high; what is new is the large number of settlers killed by Indians either directly or indirectly by the siege. Settler-Indians relations got worse. Something cause the powhatans to become much more aggressive than they were during the first two years. Perhaps it was continuing resupply of colonists. It was becoming clear to the Powhatans the English were not just temporary visitors. (Doc E) Why can't people just get

The first successful British colonization of the Americas was in the Chesapeake area and anchored by Jamestown which was founded in 1607. The original colonists nearly didn’t make it, as it was a very difficult life for them. Moreover, the colonists founded many

It was a very new type of thing for English Settlers who began arriving at James River. Many of them thought they will become richer and fulfill their dreams by living in a luxurious world. Some of them thought they will make beautiful homes and some of them they will leave in a world full of peace. By the time passed, many of the colonists died due to many reasons such as lack of food and water, bad relations with the Powhatan Indians, and poor workers.

Jamestown was the first English colony in America. But that does not mean that Jamestown was all that successful. Many early Jamestown settlers died because of Native conflicts, lack of resources, and disease.

Before even being constructed, colonies had already been set for failure as many colonists did not properly prepare for the journey. Many did not have enough supplies to sustain a stable colony and prevent its people from starving. In a letter that Richard Frethorne wrote to his parents he portrays the poor nourishment settlers received when he says “…for since I came out of the ship I never ate anything but peas, and loblollie.” Lack of agricultural, geographical, and survival knowledge and the fact of being in a new land prevented settlers from successfully growing crops and maintaining a steady food supply to their colonies. Jamestown, was a settlement which was greatly impacted by the failure of gathering food for its settlers. The colonists of Jamestown were mainly dying off of famine

It was in 1607, the first successful settlement known as Jamestown was created by 104 settlers along the James River in search for prosperity. They hoped to find gold, silver, and other valued resources in order to trade to Asia in hopes of wealth. In an effort to avoid British taxes, the Jamestown settlers planned to find a new route to the East, yet to no avail. But it was not just a walk in the park. These pioneers struggled and suffered during the first few winters, and it wasn't until their leader, John Smith, met with the local Powhatan Indians and learned their ways of farming and tobacco growth; staple crops that would one day fuel the Colonial American economy. Though most of the southern settlements were filled with greedy farmers and miners, many from the New England colonies came for religious

The colonists’ water supply was limited and became brackish. The poor location they have chosen also added to the struggle. On an island with the tides of saltwater going in and out every day, the water polluted with human waste, trash, and litter among others.. The colonist’s drinking water was limited, and most died of infection and poisoning from the river. (Sentence 2-3 taken from Doc. A) After the colonists traded with the Native Americans, the ships of supplies of grain headed back to England instead of staying in Jamestown to help the colonists. (Doc. D) Also during the drought in Jamestown (when they arrived), the water supply was dangerously low and colonists died of thirst and the food all went away and the amount of water they had available could not support the crops they were

On May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 100 members of a joint venture called the Virginia Company, founded the first permanent English settlement in North America. The Jamestown colonists purpose is to find gold, silver, and other resources all they want is claiming land and riches. Smith left the Jamestown settlers without a strong leader so he left all his people alone. There’s no houses for them, there’s no supplies for them to survive due to the lack of leadership. So the settlers faced many hardships they had not expected. The settlers lacked some skills necessary to contribute for themselves like farming, hunting, etc. Many settlers died not only because of starvation & disease but also during the winter many settlers starve or froze to death because they don’t have anything for that season. After all what happens to them the settler adjusted to their new lives in America. The few remaining colonists turned to local Powhatan Indians to help them learn the process of planting and harvesting corn and tobacco. The settlers relied on

Jamestown was built in 1607 because King James I ordered the English kingdom to sail to find a new trade route to China but they had ended up in North America along the way. There lived 15,000 Powhatan Native Indian tribes who had been living there for thousands of years. To keep themselves safe, they built a fort in the middle of a river (Jamestown) where there was good resources, freshwater, and a 360 degree view so they can stay safe. There was arguments between the Powhatan and the English which lead to wars. Many colonists died because of famine, disease, native attacks, boat wrecks, and many more disastrous things. Document B is a chart from J. Frederick Fausz’s magazine article “An Abundance

Jamestown, the birthplace of America was the first permanent english settlement in North America. In April 1606, King James I established Jamestown and on May 13, 1607, colonists began to arrive at Jamestown. When establishing Jamestown as a colony, the Virginia Company was in search of economic opportunities. The citizens wanted to escape poverty and prosecution. They wanted to be able to believe in what they wanted. The first month in Jamestown was a struggle for all passengers. The moment the passengers came ashore, they immediately began on settlement. Serious problems soon emerged when about 15,000-25,000 Indians were already living in the Chesapeake Bay when the colony was founded. The Indians were part of the Powhatan Confederacy which was ruled by Powhatan, a powerful leader. At this time, the English settlers were looking for gold that no one was farming. In this situation, Captain John Smith became the colony’s leader and established a “no work, no food” policy. Smith had been instrumental in trading with the Powhatan Indians for food but their relationship was tense in all aspects. After he was injured by a burning gunpowder in 1608 and left for England, the “starving time” began. This was a period of warfare between the colonists and Indians and the depth of many English men

You have spent weeks on a ship, sailing to a place you know little about and you know a plethora of hardships lie ahead. When you arrive you find a miniature island, inhabited by Native Americans. You know of the considerable riches that lie ahead. The years to come will be difficult, but you know it will be worth it, you will create the first permanent English settlement in the New World. In the next year, your population will shrink from 105 people to only 40 people. The second shipment of people and supplies arrives, and you will have food to last winter. More and more people come. Only eight people die from dehydration or starvation in the winter of 1608-1609. Your

Tobacco was a valuable crop from the seeds of the West Indies that finally started to make money in Jamestown.