Early Jamestown: Why Did so Many Colonists Die?

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Early Jamestown: Why Did So Many Colonists Die? We’re all curious. Especially about things that are difficult to explain. What I would like to know is why did the colonist die? What caused this? Today I will have a chance to explain some of my ideas. To support these theories I will mention some documents to help in the essay, so let’s get started. [Doc.A] States: “…Adjacent river and creeks became brackish as water levels rose, reliable sources became scarce…as saltwater transfusion caused introduced filth tended to linger rather than wash away.” This may have caused the colonists to become sick. As the reliable water sources shrank and they were forced to drink the contaminated water. This may have also spread diseases throughout the Colony. The results being more deaths, because of the water sources being contaminated by filth from the colonists. [Doc.B] Shows that there was a large time of drought from 1606-1612.This likely affected the growth of crops. The result was deaths most likely caused by lack of food. Another cause of many deaths would be fights that erupted because of fights with the Powhatan Indians, the main group of native people in which they traded with. With both parties relying on each other for food, a lack there of may have caused many people to be killed by Indians who needed food because of the drought which also affected their ability to grow things. [Doc.C] Shows in a group of one-hundred and ten colonists, a vast majority of them were gentlemen. Gentlemen were wealthy men not used to working with their hands. This plays a role in answering the topic question. To make matters worse, they did not have people or had to few that could have improved their daily lives. These people were surgeons, councilmen, farmers, and women. Had those mentioned been either present or more of, life in the
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