The Deaths of Many The year of 1607 was when the first English settlers arrived and built a fort on a place called James Island, soon to be known as Jamestown. Of the 110 original settlers, only forty survived at the end of December. When January came, there was a restock of English colonists which did save the colony from total extinction, but even that was not enough. In the next two years, hard times came when Captain John Smith, who provided much needed leadership, was sent back to England. In the awful winters of 1609-1610, two thirds of the settlers died. Many of the colonists of Jamestown died because of the unsanitary water, an unprepared population, as well as, the very unfortunate drought. First, many colonists died because of the contaminated water provided in Jamestown. In document A, it describes how Jamestown gave the colonists brackish and polluted water. As the water levels rose, many rivers and creeks became brackish or salty water, therefore making fresh water very rare. Also, according to the historian Carville V. Earle, he claimed that the human waste which got dumped into the rivers, festered and did not flush away. The toxins and harmful diseases …show more content…
In document C, it shows that there was a need for unnecessary occupation more than there were of necessary jobs. In May of 1607, there was a total of 47 workers who became gentlemen, or people of wealth who were not used to working with their hands, and they had only one surgeon on board. In 1608, there was a total of 28 gentlemen, and only a single surgeon and two apothecaries, or druggist, out of the 120 male workers. This is quite outrageous because of the fact that many colonists were dying of disease, and there were not enough people who knew how to treat, and prevent the deaths of many. Because there was not an equal amount of individuals with different occupations, it caused the death of many