Final answer:
The Jamestown residents faced severe hardships including starvation, disease, and conflict, which nearly led to the colony's failure. Their survival was eventually secured through the cultivation of tobacco, which became a profitable cash crop, although this success caused devastation for the native Powhatan population.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jamestown Settlers' Challenges and Survival
The residents of Jamestown who were sent by the Virginia Company faced numerous daunting challenges upon their arrival in North America. Recruited to find a navigable river, search for gold, establish a colony, maintain peace with the natives, and avoid Spanish forces, the settlers found themselves in a perilous situation.
Disease, internal disputes, and hostilities with the Powhatan tribe plagued the colony. The harsh winter of 1609-1610, known as "the starving time," saw many colonists succumb to starvation and illness, with the population dwindling to fewer than a hundred survivors by May 1610.
Jamestown eventually found a semblance of success not through gold but through the cultivation of tobacco by John Rolfe, turning it into a profitable cash crop. This financial turnaround led to the establishment of the plantation system and the onset of the slave trade to meet labor demands.
Nonetheless, the colony's survival came at a severe cost to the Powhatan Confederacy, which faced a significant decline due to disease and conflict over the following decades.