Final answer:
The Jamestown settlers faced extreme hardship during the Starving Time of 1609-1610, with over 80 percent dying from starvation, disease, and conflict with Native Americans. George Percy documented this period of desperation and mortality. The Virginia Company's introduction of tobacco cultivation contributed to the eventual stability of the colony.
Step-by-step explanation:
During a period known as the Starving Time, which began in 1609, the Jamestown settler community faced catastrophic conditions. This period was marked by starvation, disease, and conflict with the Native American Powhatan tribe. The colonist's inability to grow their food, the harsh weather, and their focus on searching for non-existent gold, rather than cultivating crops, contributed to the dire situation.
George Percy, a governor of Jamestown, documented the severe hardships and the high mortality rate among the settlers. By the spring of 1610, the situation had deteriorated so significantly that out of 500 settlers who were present when Smith left, only about 60 frail survivors remained. These extreme conditions led to acts of cannibalism and settlers being in such despair that some dug their graves and lay in them waiting for death.
The Virginia Company of London reorganized the colony, and the eventual cultivation of tobacco provided a valuable cash crop that played a significant role in Jamestown's survival and the economic stability of the Virginia colony.