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Why Did So Many Colonists Die In Early Jamestown

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Why Did So Many Colonists Die In Early Jamestown
Death was everywhere in Jamestown. On May 14, 1607 104 colonist land on Jamestown Island to start an English colony. The Spanish had told riches of the new world they conquered. Here nothing of value could be found and people were not prepared for what lay ahead. They had many tragedies and deaths for them to suffer in the following years. Why did so many colonists die in Early, the beginning of, Jamestown is the real question. The answer can be found in three big problems: the water of the environment, diseases, conflict.

The water of the environment was one of the many problems. First, the water of the Jamestown River had waste in it (Doc A). This makes the water undrinkable, as the waste was brought upstream by ocean tides. Second, the water from Jamestown was salty as the fresh water mixed with the oceans brackish, salty, water (Doc A). This also makes the water undrinkable and the salt would also give you dehydration. Virginia was experiencing a drought during this time (Doc B). This means Jamestown had less than average rainfall, and their crops wouldn’t grow. Fresh water was scarce in Jamestown. …show more content…
Brackish water can lead to salt water poisoning (Video: Nightmare in Jamestown). Salt water poisoning causes your body to steal water from it’s own organs, as a result your body looses more water and your brain misfires, later leading to death. More than 250 colonists died from various diseases (Doc E). These diseases include Dysentery and Typhoid (Video: Nightmare in Jamestown). These diseases caused fevers and swelling. Diseases spread quickly in the Jamestown fort and many
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