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Hardships In Jamestown

Decent Essays

Settling Jamestown was not easy, there were many struggles. Some of these included, food supply, diseases and brackish water, and unpredictable harsh weather. These are the three main hardships settlers in Jamestown faced.

The first hardship the settlers had to face was disease. To begin, the contaminated swampy waters were to bad to drink from, leaving the colonists with no water. On page 28 of “
Making Thirteen Colonies” the text states, “As it turned out, they couldn’t have picked a worse spot. The land was swampy, the drinking water was bad…”. Secondly, along with the swampy lands and brackish water came mosquitos carrying disease. Also on page 28 of “Making Thirteen Colonies” the text states, “the mosquitoes drove the settlers crazy …show more content…

First, the settlers were very ill prepared for the hot, humid summers and the icy, cold winters. In the video “Jamestown Rediscovery Part 2” slide 32 says, “Oppressive summer heat and humidity set in with disastrous results. The food transported from England spoiled, and the brackish water bearing mosquitoes and disease was too dangerous to drink. More than half the colony’s population perished from disease.” The settlers were not prepared for such a harsh season. Secondly, autumn may have supplied the settlers with food, but shortly after the food had burned. The settlers were entering the harsh winter without food. In the video “Jamestown Rediscovery Part 3” slide 44 states, “In their zeal to do the Virginia Company well, they failed to acquire enough food stores for their own need.” Now without food, and many settlers dead or carrying diseases, only made the cold icy winter worse. Lastly, during the winter, also known as the “Starving time”, it was impossible for settlers to grow food. With the winter making growing food impossible, page 33 of “Making Thirteen Colonies” the text states, “‘They ate dogs, cats, rats and mice,’ said Percy, as well as ‘serpents and snakes’ and even boots and shoes”. In summary, the unpredictable weather in Jamestown was a …show more content…

To start off, autumn had come and the settlers were able to establish a good supply for the winter. Unfortunately, their food supply was burned in a fire along with their fort. In the video “Jamestown Rediscovery Part 3” slide 38 mentions, “bad luck struck again, however, when their food supplies were ruined in a blaze that swept through and damaged the fort.” Secondly, instead of gathering food supplies, the settlers decided to go looking for ways to please the Virginia Company. Slide 44 of “Jamestown Rediscovery Part 3” states, “In their zeal to do the Virginia Company well, they failed to acquire enough food stores for their own need.” Now, after their food burned, they neglected the fact that they needed a stable food supply of their own. Lastly, the winter, also known as the “Starving Time” was one of the worst periods in Jamestown. With the arrival of 400 new settlers they had to share their small supply with, people began fighting. In addition, page 33 of “Making Thirteen Colonies” states, “That means armed Indians wouldn’t let anyone out. The settlers couldn’t hunt or fish.” With diseases, no water, and no food, only 60 of the people in Jamestown out of 504 died. To conclude, hunger was the worst hardship settlers had to

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