What problems did the Jamestown colonists face?

The colonists arrived at Jamestown on May 13, 1607. At that time, historians estimate that over 14,000 Powhatan Indians lived in Virginia. One of the most apparent problems facing the colonists was communicating with the existing inhabitants. These early settlers also experienced major food shortages and poor medical care resulting in disease and illness. After 8 months only 34 of the original 104 were still alive. It is estimated that 1 out of every 6 settlers dies within the first year at the settlement.

As well as the hunger and dangers posed by the Native Americans, the settlers at Jamestown faced an additional hardship when an accidental fire broke out. This happened in January of 1608 and the fire destroyed all but three of the houses that the settlers had built. Also destroyed were the storehouse and ammunition. (See the reference link provided.)

As a result of the fire, the settlers now had to face the rest of the winter without adequate shelter. They also had to rebuild everything that had been destroyed. Given that they faced so many other problems, like a lack of food, this placed a significant burden on the settlers. We can only imagine how the fire must have impacted on their morale.

It was also around this time that Captain Smith arrived with an additional 100 settlers. Although he brought supplies with him and a number of skilled workers, the need to provide housing for these extra people must have weighed very heavily on the settlers’ minds.

The Jamestown settlers faced a number of hardships; three of the most prominent hardships were food shortages, disease, and hostile Indians. The colony was originally founded as a money-making enterprise, so the early settlers did not place enough emphasis on growing food. The lack of food caused the Jamestown settlers to become malnourished, which in turn made them more susceptible to diseases such as typhoid and dysentery.

Additionally, the local Powhatan Indians were often quite hostile to the Englishmen at Jamestown. During the winter of 1609-1610, these Indians placed Jamestown under siege; this intensified the lack of food the Jamestown settlers faced, because they could not even leave the fort to hunt wild game. Only 60 of the 300 (or 500, depending on the account) Jamestown settlers survived the winter, which became known as the "Starving Time."

The settlers at Jamestown faced many challenges.  One challenge was dealing with unfriendly Native Americans.  Because of this concern, the settlers felt unsafe venturing away from their settlement.  This was a big concern because the settlers needed food.  This brings us to a second problem which was the lack of food.  The settlers at Jamestown didn't have enough food.  Because they felt unsafe moving away from the settled area, shortages of food were a big concern.  Many colonists died from a lack of food.  A third issue the colonists faced was weather.  One reason why there was a shortage of food was because the area was experiencing one of the worst droughts ever in this region.  This made growing crops very difficult.  In addition, the winters were brutal.  Many colonists died from the hardships they faced during the harsh winter.  The colonists faced many challenges while they were at Jamestown.

Actually, poor diplomacy with the Indians was NOT a problem, in fact the colony proudly would have disappeared from starvation had it not been for help from the local Pumunkey Indian tribe. The Indians grew several varieties of maize (corn) and not only showed the colonists how to plant it; but also traded with them for hatchets, metal tools, swords and muskets.

Aside from this the initial problems confronting the colony were:

• Most of the people who settled the colony were townspeople who did not know how to farm. They only learned how from the Indians.
• Others were of the gentlemanly class who had come to search for gold and considered physical labor beneath them, even when necessary for survival.
• The settlers all lacked hunting skills. The area was plentiful with game animals; yet they did not have the ability to hunt for them.
• As noted above, supply ships from England were largely undependable.

The colony probably would have collapsed were it not for the leadership of John Smith. Smith was difficult and quarrelsome, but had been chosen by the London Company to manage the colony. With iron fisted rules, he forced the colonists to work and they thereby survived; until Smith was injured and had to return to England for medical treatment. Their worst days were after Smith left, the so-called "starving time" when they ran out of food. Things were so bad that one man who had married an Indian woman killed her and salted her down for food. During the winter of 1609-1610 out of 600 settlers, only 80 survived. They were saved this time by the arrival of Sir Thomas Gates who also imposed hard nosed discipline.

Early Jamestown was almost a failure like the colonies before it. Some of the apparent problems were poor diplomacy with the natives, which resulted in armed attacks, poor agricultural planning, which resulted in starvation, and poor water supplies which caused dysentery.  As a result, the colony almost died out.  Ships from England failed to arrive on as scheduled; and finally, the colony originally had little to keep it economically viable through trade with England.

Another part of the problem were the unrealistic expectations harbored by some of the colonists, many of which were of the landed gentry in England looking to expand their estates, and were not willing to engage in the hard labor of farming.  However, under good leadership, and the discovery of tobacco as a valued commodity, the colony survived and was thriving by the 1620's.

What hardships did the Jamestown settlers face?

In May 1607, 104 settlers established a permanent colony at Jamestown. Life for these settlers was very hard and, by the end of the first year, only 38 of these men and women survived. Here are some of the hardships they faced:

• The Jamestown settlers faced food shortages because they spent their early days searching for gold instead of farming.
• The water around Jamestown was brackish and not suitable for drinking. It was also a breeding ground for mosquitoes, causing serious illness among the settlers, especially malaria, dysentery and typhoid.
• Many members of the local native tribe, the Powhatans, were sceptical and wary of the settlers. Though the settlers were able to establish trade with the natives, relations between the two were not always good. According to Captain John Smith, some natives were warm and hospitable while other discharged arrows. 
• The settlers faced cold and harsh winters, especially in their first year.