First. What were some of the hardships Jamestown faced?
They were in large numbers. Around 80% of the immigrants perished between 1609 and 1610 from sickness and malnutrition, and only 3,400 of the more than 6,000 people who arrived throughout the colony's first 20 years managed to live. Here are a few key elements:
Lack of food: The early English immigrants, who were largely gentlemen and their manservants, were unprepared for farming since they weren't used to the hard labour involved. In addition, the first wave of settlers arrived too late to sow any crops.
Disease: The Chesapeake's wetlands served as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, many of which were disease carriers. The English had a difficult time adjusting to the hot, muggy atmosphere of the Chesapeake since many of them wore heavy wool garments and metal armor.
Hostile natives: Despite having a cordial beginning, tensions between the English settlers and the "Powhatan Confederacy" of indigenous gradually soured. In a surprise attack in 1622, they slaughtered nearly a third of the English immigrants. Up until the 1640s, when the English assassinated the Powhatan chief and had the native people live on reservations and pay a monthly tribute, the English and Powhatans were constantly at war.
The Spanish: The Treaty of Tordesillas, which was ratified in 1494, saw the division of all newly found area between the two empires. Despite the fact that the Spanish had not colonized the area and had no power there, Jamestown was theoretically in Spanish territory. Although they were no longer as strong as they once were, the Spanish were nonetheless unhappy about what they saw as a "invasion" of their country. In 1609, they dispatched a scouting ship to assault Jamestown, but they were repelled by an English ship that had arrived just in time. The Spanish weren't nearly as dangerous to the English as the indigenous, but they were nonetheless continually worried about an invasion.
Gender imbalance: This might not seem like a huge concern, but in the early years of the colony, males far outnumbered women (planters used to combine money to send over ships of destitute women in England), leaving many single men in frustration. This group comprised a sizable portion of Bacon's supporters throughout his rebellion in the latter decades of the century.
Now, how did they overcome these difficulties, well that is within this.
Thanks,
Eddie
