The first colonists established Jamestown in 1607 on the Chesapeake Bay to escape Spanish threats and start fresh under King James. Disease ravaged the colony, killing many, and some colonists gave up and left down the river. They were stopped by English ships carrying 300 more colonists, prompting the re-colonization of Jamestown, though the original colonists struggled with laziness, failing to plant enough food or care for their water, constantly facing disease.