What were the major problems in Jamestown?

Question

Christopher Antwine · Accepted Answer

People who did not want to work, shortage of food, trouble with the Indians , and disease.

The goal of many of the settlers of Jamestown was to imitate the wealth that the Spanish discovered during their looting of the Aztec empire; the Virginia Indians had neither riches nor gold, and these men had no desire to labor, cultivate land, or support the colony. Due to a lack of food, the settlers traded food with the local Indians; however, when the Indians refused to exchange, the settlers took the food, which infuriated them. Sadly, there were good relations between the Indians and the settlers at the start of the colony, but there were "wars" between the local Indians and the settlers where many of the settlers were killed and their farms burned. The site of Jamestown was poorly chosen; it was in a low, marshy area, and the mosquitoes that carried the diseases caused many of the settlers to fall ill. Jamestown nearly collapsed multiple times; only the prompt arrival of supply ships and steadfast leadership kept the colony afloat.