Sir Walter Raleigh

Europe Plans to SettleEurope Plans to SettleSir Walter RaleighSir Walter Raleigh

Erwin Middle Erwin Middle SchoolSchool

Mr. Scullion

Europe Plans to Settle

The Spanish conquest of the Americas was very profitable. Leaders of other European countries, especially England, envied the shiploads of treasure coming out of the New World. They also worried about the powerful military force that Spain was building with its newfound wealth. They did not want Spain to dominate the world. They began to think about starting their own American ventures.

England Plans to Settle

English leaders also wanted to start colonies. Although England was one of Europe’s richest countries, it had a population problem. The country’s population rose sharply in the 1500s. England was a small island and could not provide land or jobs for all the new inhabitants. Beggars began to wander country roads and line city streets. Crime also rose as people stole what they could not earn. English leaders hoped that American colonies would provide opportunities for people who could not find jobs or land at home.

England Plans to Settle

England Plans to Settle

The English set their eyes near the mid-Atlantic coast. That area seemed ideal for challenging Spanish power. The mid-Atlantic was too far away from Spanish Florida for the Spanish to attack by land. English ships could use bases there to monitor Spanish actions and capture Spanish vessels carrying treasure from Central and South America.

Sir Walter Raleigh

In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh organized the first English endeavor to settle in the New World. Queen Elizabeth of England granted him a charter, which gave him permission to organize a colony and promised that any land he colonized would belong to him.

Sir Walters Voyage

Sir Walter Raleigh’s crew left England on April 27, 1584. A few months later, on July 4, 1584, they arrived in the New World. They sailed up the eastern coast to Pamlico Sound and anchored near Hatteras Island. They named the land Virginia in honor of Queen Elizabeth. (Because Elizabeth never married, she was known as the Virgin Queen.)

Two days after the English scouting crew arrived, three Algonquian Indians from the island of Roanoke arrived in a small boat. They paddled near the larger English ships. The English explorers rowed over to meet the Indians, and one Indian agreed to go back to the English ships. He tasted some food, accepted a shirt and hat as gifts, and gave the explorers some fish in return. Then he and his companions rowed back to Roanoke Island to report to their people what they had seen.

Sir Walters Voyage

England’s View

The English had varying views of Native Americans. Like other Europeans, most English people considered themselves superior to the people of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. They saw people in those lands as savages—less educated and intelligent than “civilized” Europeans. This perception encouraged the idea that Europeans had the right to rule over them. Still, the English believed there were two kinds of Indians. There were “good” Indians, who welcomed and appreciated Europeans. And there were “bad” Indians, who constantly attacked settlers, traders, and “good” Indians.

Reporting the Findings Once the Sir Walter Raleigh’s crew returned to England, they reported their findings. They described the land they had explored with glowing detail, emphasizing the fertility of the land and the hospitality of the inhabitants. Queen Elizabeth liked what she heard, and began to gather people to return to the land and start a colony. The expedition included military men and the Royal Navy ship, Tyger. Giving Raleigh’s return voyage a dual purpose: to start a colony and to establish a military fort that could be used to capture Spanish ships.

Return to Roanoke

In 1585, Richard Grenville set out on the second journey to Roanoke. The men on board were colonists who were to start a settlement and look for ways to earn a profit.

The journey got off to a rocky start when the ship ran aground in Pamlico Sound. Water poured in and spoiled most of the food the colonists had brought. When they landed on Roanoke Island, the colonists chose a settlement site and began to explore the area. They called their settlement Fort Raleigh.

The Roanoke Indians had an important decision to make. Since the colonists’ food had been lost, they would need the Indians’ help to survive. They decided they would give the settlers food. Hospitality to strangers was part of Native American culture. It was summer, and they had plenty of food to spare. The corn was ripening, and there was no shortage of fish and game.

Return to Roanoke

Return to Roanoke

Richard Grenville departed for England to get more supplies.

The colonists were less productive. Most of them were soldiers, not farmers. They spent a lot of time looking for gold and silver instead of hunting, fishing, and growing corn. When winter came, the men had not even built houses for themselves, and they continued to depend on the natives to feed them.

By spring, the Indians began to grow impatient with the colonists’ constant demands for food. The natives had little extra food after the winter. Feeding the colonists meant they had less to eat themselves.

Eventually, the Indian’s stopped giving food to the colonists and broke off their relationship. The colony became very angry. The colonists better at fighting than diplomacy, suspecting that the Indians meant to starve or murder them, they decided to strike first. They invited the Indian leaders to a conference. Once the Indians were gathered, the colonists began to shoot. Within moments, they lay dead.

The colonists had no food, and were never heard of again.

Return to Roanoke