The Chesapeake was originally settled by single men searching for gold. They were hired by the Virginia Company. The Virginia Company was a joint-stock company. The first settlers came to America and settled at Jamestown in 1607. This became the first permanent English settlement in America. At first, all of the men did was search for gold. Many died because of hunger and starvation because they did not look for food. Finally, Captain John Smith (F) took control and made the colonists work to find food. Although the early settlers did not find gold, (F) they developed their cash crop in tobacco. This was perfected by John Rolfe. Tabaco was labor intensive. Eventually, Indentured Servants (H) was used to farm tobacco. An Indentured servant was someone who could not afford passage to America. It was paid for by someone else and the indentured servant had to work for that person for a number of years.
Socially, in the Chesapeake, people lived very short lives. Diseases such as malaria, dysentery and typhoid took the lives of next to everyone in the colony. Malaria is a parasitic disease that involves much flu like symptoms. Dysentery is a group of intestinal disorders characterized by the inflammation of the intestines, mainly the colon. Cramps are the main symptom. Typhoid is a bacterial infection contained by contaminated water, milk or other foods. Salmonella is the main cause. Single men stayed single because they came