Why Did So Many Colonists Died In Early Jamestown?

Death in Jamestown In spring of 1607, the English passengers who sailed into the Americas had little idea that their demise awaited them. The 100 colonists who sailed from England and arrived in Jamestown, Virginia were mostly poor and between the ages of 17-35. Their main reason for traveling was to establish the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, and they were also searching for gold and a trade route to China. However, although hopes were high for this new settlement, 70 out of 110 settlers died within the first 6 months, and from 1607-1611, 80% of over 500 people died. One might ask, why did so many colonists die? The three reasons many colonists died in early Jamestown were due to water issues, disease, and starvation.
The third reason many colonists died in Jamestown was starvation. According to Document A, “Fish are present in local streams [in Jamestown], but only in the spring and early summer are they there in impressive abundance.” This evidence means that even though fish were present in the river during spring and summer, there weren't any fish during fall and winter which led to starvation and death among the colonists. According to Document D, “The (ship) [belonging to Francis West] and her lifesaving cargo returned to (James Towne)...No one doubted that this new supply of grain would help, but it would not be enough to last the winter.” This evidence shows that the grain that Francis West collected would help the colonists in Jamestown, but they still wouldn’t have enough food to last the winter, causing them to die from starvation. Colonists died in early Jamestown because of water issues, disease, and starvation. The brackish and filthy qualities of the rivers in Jamestown made the water undrinkable and caused disease, and the lack of fish and grain resulted in starvation and death among the