Early Jamestown Settlement Research Paper

Words: 629
Pages: 3

The early days of settling the eastern coast of North America was characterized by hard times and initial failure on behalf of the settlers, however in time these settlements grew to become a collection of thriving and diverse British colonies.
Initially, settlers ran into many challenges that hindered their progresses establishing successful settlements. One of the main problems the settlers faced in the early days was their relationship with the native tribes. It is no secret that the settlers and the natives had a very poor relationship, frequently breaking into skirmishes and uprisings. Another major problem the settlers had while initially settling the New World was a general lack of work ethic and poor resource management. The first settlers set out on their journey to find gold instead of prioritizing establishing a
…show more content…
The best example of this is the founding of Jamestown, where sixty-four percent of the settlers had died within a year. However, the founding of Jamestown was not the only example of failure on behalf of the settlers, only two years later the settlers experienced a great famine known as the Starving Time. This period of famine encompasses all the major issues settlers had when attempting to establish settlements. Leading up to the Starving Time the settlers had fought in many skirmishes with the natives, “as for corn provision and contribution from the savages, we had nothing but mortal wounds, with clubs and arrows” (Gale 29). On top of already having little to go in ways of food stockpiles, the settlers squandered what little supplies they received from England. This practice of poor resource management led to starvation and in