Early Jamestown Essay

Imagine a land that seems to go on forever. It has a beautiful, lush forest that spans for miles. It also has a fresh-water river that runs into the coast. You’re just settled here with two of your best friends. However, you realize that none of you have skills that will be beneficial to your colony. You also realize that the Indian tribe who lives nearby may be a problem. The last thing you realize is you have many environmental problems. You are in the land of Jamestown, circa 1607, and these are the three main reasons why your colony is about to come crashing down. The first reason that Jamestown was unsuccessful was the lack of the settlers’ skills. The settlers did not have enough doctors. (Doc. C) They also had no farmers, cooks, or hunters. (Doc. C) They had too many gentlemen and only four carpenters. (Doc. C) They also had no woman. (Doc. C) They had seventy-five gentlemen as well. (Doc. C) This means they wouldn’t have the skills required to do jobs needed for their colony. The second reason that Jamestown failed was Indian relations. From 1607-1608, only seven settlers died from Indian attacks. (Doc. E) In 1609 Francis West and thirty-six men forced the Powhatan Indians to trade grain. (Doc. D) This made the Indians mad. In 1609, 143 settlers died from Indians attacks. (Doc. E) The Indians attacked so much in 1609 because of Francis West’s invasion. The last reason that Jamestown did not succeed is environmental problems. The river in Jamestown was the colony’s main source of water. The river would flood with ocean water a lot because it was connected to the ocean. (Doc. A) As a result, the water was brackish. (Doc. A) There weren’t a lot of fish in the river during winter. (Doc. A) This caused drought and starvation. In 1998, scientists examined the growth rings inside of trees from Jamestown and discovered that because of the rings in the trunks being close together, Jamestown didn’t get enough rain. (Doc. B) In conclusion, the three main reasons colonists died in Jamestown are lack of settlers’ skills, Indian relations, and environmental problems. I think environmental problems were the best reason because there were more difficulties with the environment. The lost colony of Jamestown is significant because it is important to know our history and where we came from.