Soon after their arrival, the first English settlers constructed a fort to defend themselves. One colonist wrote home to his parents in 1623 of the pervasiveness of disease in Virginia, вЂњвЂ¦the nature of the Country is such that it Causeth much sicknes, as the scurvie and the bloody flix, and divers other diseases, wch maketh the bodie very poore, and Weake, and when wee are sicke there is nothing to Comfort us.вЂќ Even as environmental conditions improved and colonists settled near better water supplies, sickness continued to spread. A long and devastating drought from 1606-1612 may have contributed to the early colonistsвЂ™ malnourishment. The first settlers planned to rely on the local Powhatan Indians for much of their food needs, and so did not plan ahead for their own nutritional needs. The colonists also inadvertently further contaminated their drinking water with their own waste. The resulting water is high in salinity, and also delivered colonists low doses of naturally occurring arsenic, iron, and sulfur. The water around Jamestown Island, where the first colonists settled, is an oligohaline zone, where the mix of fresh and salty water come together to trap contaminates. Historians have identified both environmental factors and malnutrition as contributing factors to the high death rate among the early colonists. Sickness and disease were a constant threat and plagued the English settlers heavily. Throughout the earliest years of European settlement at Jamestown, mortality rates were high. Even with the looming threat of warfare with the Indians, these numbers continued to grow, especially as tobacco-a labor-intensive crop-demanded the labor of indentured servants and enslaved Africans. The March 1620 muster of the inhabitants listed 32 Africans in Virginia (17 women and 15 men), with 892 European colonists. Once in Jamestown, the wealthier merchants and planters bought them for their households. These first Africans were captured by the Portuguese in Angola in West Central Africa, and sold into slavery. In 1619 the first вЂњ20 and oddвЂќ Africans arrived at Jamestown. Archaeologists have discovered evidence that Powhatan women visited the fort and brought food, goods, and supplies to the colonists in the first year of settlement. As soon as the English arrived, they encountered the Powhatan Indians. More women, children, and family groups began arriving in 1609. The first two English women arrived in 1608. Many of the first settlers were wealthy English gentlemen, but the list of first settlers also included laborers, bricklayers, carpenters, a blacksmith, barber, tailor, and a preacher. When the Virginia Company of London sent the first settlers to Jamestown in 1607, they only included English men and boys. All would have critical roles to play in everyday life in the Jamestown settlement as what began as a military outpost soon grew into a more stable colony with the introduction of the cash crop, tobacco.

These English settlers would soon encounter the Powhatan and later, men and women from West Central Africa. Though this world was certainly new to them, these places already had names-the Algonquian-speaking tribes who inhabited the area knew the land as Tsenacomoco and the river, the Powhatan (named after the paramount chief of the Powhatan Indians). Under a charter granted by King James I, these first English colonists to Virginia named their settlement Jamestown after their king, and the nearby river the James. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaignsДЇew of the 104 English men and boys who set sail from England knew what to expect from their new home when they disembarked from their ships, the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery on May 14, 1607.

Protect Virginia Battlefields from Massive Data Centers.

New Battlefield State Park Coming to Virginia.

Support Outdoor Classrooms at Seven Key Battlefields.Help Preserve 64 Acres Across Three Revolutionary War Sites.Help Preserve 311 Acres at Four Historic Battlefields.Save 45 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville.Help Restore Three Sites to Their Wartime Appearance.Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!.National Teacher Institute July 21 - 24, 2022 Learn More.USS Constitution In 4 Minutes Watch Video.African Americans During the Revolutionary War.

The First American President: Setting the Precedent.

Jamestown venture forthe