English Colonization

When people think of the colonies that would become the United States, they generally think of the British colonies. In fact, England was the last of the four major countries to establish colonies in North America, behind Spain, France, and the Netherlands. Still, the British were to have the biggest long-term impact on the future United States. Their colonies shaped the political and social fabric of what would become the United States of America.

Objective:

• Identify the reasons for English colonization in North America.

England’s first few attempts to establish a colony in North America failed. One of these, Roanoke Colony, is also known as the Lost Colony because it disappeared and no one knows to this day what happened to the colonists. Here is a simple timeline of events that are known about Roanoke Colony:

• English settlers built a fort in 1585 on Roanoke Island, in what is today North Carolina. The fort was attacked by Native Americans a year later.
• Sir Frances Drake stopped at the colony and took a few colonists back to England on his return voyage.
• Sir Richard Greenville arrived in 1586 with a ship of supplies for the colony, and found it abandoned.
• In 1587, a new group of 115 settlers arrived, including Virginia Dare, the first English child born in North America.
• Due to the Anglo-Spanish War, no English ship was able to reach Roanoke Colony with supplies until 1590. When the ship arrived, there was no trace of the settlers, nor was there any sign of a battle or struggle.
• The only clue left behind was the word CROATOAN carved into a tree. There was a nearby island named Croatoan Island and there was a Croatan Indian tribe.