The Lost Colony
What happened at Roanoke?
Imagine this…
One morning, you pick up the newspaper and glance at the front
page. In large bold letters across the top, you see: "Entire Community
Disappears!" What would you do? Would you call someone? Would you
put the paper down and go back to sleep? Would you think about it
while you ate breakfast? Or, would you go looking for clues? If you
had lived in 1590 (and if they had newspapers then), you might have
seen this headline. The Colony of Roanoke was the first English
settlement here in what would become the United States. When John
White, one of the original settlers, came back to Roanoke after
leaving for supplies, he found that the entire colony had disappeared,
including his daughter and granddaughter.
~1580~
• A Charter/patent was given to Sir Walter Raleigh by Queen
Elisabeth I to start North American colonies.
• Raleigh hired navigators for an exploratory trip to locate an
ideal area
• Located an island area off the coast of what is now known as
North Carolina named Virginia after the Queen
Roanoke drawn by John White
~1584~
• Led by Sir Grenville
• All men, most were soldiers
• Planned to raid the Spanish possession to the
near south
• Colonists returned to England a year later
after not finding any gold, brought Manteo with
them.
~1587~
• 120 men, women and children who planned to be permanent settlers led by
John White
• Virginia Dare~ first English child born in North America
• Difficulty~ low supplies, poor weather condition, illness, hostile tribes
• Governor John White left to return to England for more supplies. Due to the
Spanish Armada he was detained and could not return until 1590.....
White’s return
• Returned to find the colony completely
abandoned
• No sign of fighting or destruction
• Only clue was the word “CROAT” carved on a
post.
• Mystery has never been solved.
Theories….
• Powhatan & His Warriors Kill The
Chesapian Tribe
• Killed by the Roanoac Indians
• Lived with the Croatoans
• Moved to the Chesapeake Bay
Area
• Taken hostage by the Spanish
Discover Roanoke youself
• webquest challenge
Jamestown
The Permanent English Settlement
~1606~
•
James I gave a charter called
Virginia Company of London
•
To establish a colony and look for
gold
•
120 people arrived on May 14, 1607
•
Settled on a river (they named
James River) No gold found nearby.
•
By December > half the settlers had
died from disease, starvation, and
Native America attacks.
•
Were NOT prepared!!
John Smith
Took charge “No work, No food”
Captain John Smith said that each healthy person,
whether laborer or gentlemen, shall (must) gather (find
or get) as much food to eat as he (Captain John Smith)
did each day or be banished (sent away). The order did
not pertain to the sick. The sick did not have to gather
food and were provided food. This policy is sometimes
called his no work, no eat policy.
Began trading with Powhatan,
chief of Algonquin tribe.
London Co. continued to send
supplies and people
Pocahontas
Only 11 or 12 when first saw the
White man
Powhatan’s daughter
Smith would not trade guns
Convinced the tribe to spare
Smith’s life
Later married John Rolfe
Died in England of Small Pox
Saving Smith
John Rolfe
Arrived in 1612
Began to grow tobacco
(1st profit for colony)
Married Pocahontas in
1622 assuring peace
A Growing Community
By 1619 there were 11 small communities
Bride ship arrives
House of Burgesses
Laws against wasting time
Women could own property
The End of Peace...
Peace lasted until
1622
Settler’s greed for more
Colonist’s killed a war chief
Powhatan’s fought back
killing 1/4 of all settlers
London Co. went bankrupt
King is fed up, revokes
charter and reclaims it a
royal colony