How do you account for the early failures of Jamestown and its eventual successes?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The early failures of Jamestown had much to do with the unfortunate location the colonists had chosen. The swampy environs were a breeding ground for mosquitoes and their associated diseases. The colonists also had difficulty maintaining a clean and fresh drinking water supply. Also, many settlers were initially misled to think they would live an easy life while having a multitude of opportunities to become rich. As a result, many colonists were unprepared for the
arduous life in Virginia. Dissension and a lack political leadership also undermined the colony.

The Virginians of early Jamestown also faced hostility from the Powhatan Indians, with whom they failed to establish cordial relations in seeking to settle in their lands. Because the English did not grasp basic rituals of hospitality and gift giving, the colonists had no way to easily solve conflicts and misunderstandings with the Powhatans.

The colonists of early Jamestown also foolishly wasted time searching for gold and silver instead of planting crops, which led to a severe food shortage. The lack of food in Jamestown led to the "starving time" during the difficult winter of 1609–1610, which the colony barely survived.

Things improved somewhat for Jamestown once it found a profitable commodity in the form of tobacco. Profits from tobacco created a boom in the colony, and people chose to use nearly every acre of land to grow the "sot weed." Exports increased dramatically in the decades following the introduction of the crop. However, the single-minded focus on profits diverted time and resources from the planting of food crops and repairing buildings, which meant that settlers during this boom-time continued to die at an alarming rate.

Sir Edwin Sandys later introduced the headright system to provide incentives to attract immigrants to Jamestown, which it accomplished despite the continual high mortality rates.

But two years after deteriorating relations with local Indians, the communities reached a crisis point, and 347 colonists were killed in an attack. King James revoked the colony's charter.