The first colony at Jamestown faced immense hardships in its early years. The original group of 104 settlers arrived in 1607 but over half had died by the end of summer due to disease, lack of shelter, and malnutrition. John Smith took control and instituted strict rules requiring the colonists to work to build shelters and plant crops, which helped the colony survive. However, difficulties continued and by the winter of 1609-1610, called "the starving time", the population was devastated and only 60 of the 500 colonists remained alive.

1. Jamestown The First Colony