Early Jamestown Dbq

The Death of Jamestown In 1606 a group of 104 men set sail to colonize in Jamestown, Virginia, on the James River. This settlement was made by the English in May. The English wanted to colonize in America, for the hope of riches, but they weren’t prepared for what lay ahead of them. Many things waited for the colonists when they arrived, including bad water, bad relationships with the Native Americans, and how unskilled most of the settlers were. The James River was the only water source the settlers had, but it lead to sickness. In Jamestown, from the years 1606 to 1612, the settlers suffered from a drought. (Doc B) During this period they would be low on resources, which would lead into the ‘starving time’. The ‘starving time’ was when …show more content…
In the year 1609 Francis West and 36 colonists sailed to try to trade for corn with the Patawomeke Indians. West did get grain, but not without the hardship of cutting off two of the Native Americans heads and extremities. While the rest of the colonists thought the crew was going to return, they were wrong. West and his crew sailed back to England with the grain, leaving the colonists to survive on their own. (Doc D) After this slaughter, the Native Americans decided that it was time to fight back. From the years of 1607 to 1610, the Native Americans killed around 150 colonists. (Doc E) Even if the colonists thought they had a chance, the Native Americans could shoot three arrows in the time it took to load and fire a musket, the weapons the colonists had. The Native Americans also practiced guerrilla warfare, which was blending into the surroundings. (Doc M) Their relationship with the Native Americans was another flaw.
From the bad water, the poor settler skills, and the relationship the colonists had with the Native Americans, this settlement wasn’t the greatest idea. The English were too quick to judge and make their settlement. These challenges were the reason so many colonists died, but they faced these challenges and continued on and made Jamestown. Jamestown went on to be the first English settlement in America. In the end, even though the colonists made bad decisions, their efforts paid

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