How Did Jamestown Die

Why did so many die? Have you ever imagined turning to cannibalism, drinking water with waste in it, or even eating your family's pet to survive? The colonist of Jamestown were forced to these inhumane methods of survival to stay alive during the hard times that occurred during the existence of Jamestown. A large percent of Jamestown’s population died because of the constant lack of fresh water, food shortages, diseases brought by mosquitoes , and the Powhatan Native Americans that neighbord the colony. In 1607 three English ships carrying more than 100 passengers, mostly penniless settlers with the hope to teach the natives the ways of Jesus Christ and possibly even find a secret trade route to China. Little did the colonist know that the area of Jamestown was going to prove to be a poor location choice to start a settlement because in 1605, the largest drought that had occurred in years began, leaving the new settlers water-less. This drought lasted till 1613! That's 8 long, dry years without rain, this drought contributed to the “ Starving TIme”, during the extremely harsh winter of 1609-1610 two thirds of the settlement died because of starvation and dehydration. Now water wasn't the only issue in Jamestown, food also presented a
The first source of the diseases was the mosquitoes also living in the area of jamestown. The settlers water was contaminated with waste, therefore attracting mosquitoes that carried diseases such as malaria and the yellow fever. Another reason is, That Jamestown only ever had one surgeon for all 230 of the settlers! So with only one doctor, he couldn't get to everyone to treat them all while also keeping himself healthy. In document C, it states that in 1607 and 1608, only one surgeon was aboard the ships to Jamestown. Diseases seem to make quite an affect on early settlements and Jamestown was no