The beginning of the Jamestown colony was filled with challenges. English settlers arrived at the James River in the Chesapeake Bay region, now known as Virginia, in the spring of 1607. Some were looking to start a new life, while others aimed to get rich. Unfortunately for most, the venture ended tragically. By 1611, 400 of the initial 500 colonists had perished. The reasons for this high death rate can be attributed to inadequate water supply, a lack of skilled labor, and poor relations with the Powhatan people. Water posed several problems for the settlers. Firstly, the drinking water was brackish, meaning it was too salty for safe consumption. This made the settlers sick (Doc A). Additionally, because of the tides, the river water was often …show more content…
This lack of rain led to failed corn crops, resulting in starvation. Clearly, water-related issues were a significant problem in early Jamestown. Another critical factor contributing to the high death rate was the lack of skilled workers. Passenger lists from the first two ships in 1607 and 1608 included 75 gentlemen, four carpenters, and no farmers (Doc C). Gentlemen were English settlers with little experience in manual labor. And, many of the skilled laborers that were apart of the initial settlement, possessed the wrong type of skills needed forging a colony from scratch; what good would jewelers, wig makers, and goldsmiths play in this environment? d. The ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd The settlers possessed the wrong skill sets, which contributed to many deaths. To make matters worse, the settlers failed to establish good relations with the local Powhatan people. Instead of nurturing this relationship, the settlers antagonized the Powhatan. An example of this occurred in 1609 when a colonist named Francis West led 36 settlers to trade with the Patawomeke. In the process of the negotiations, West and his men killed two Patawomeke by