Roanoke and Jamestown

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Roanoke and Jamestown

The first effort by the English to establish a colony in the New World was when Sir Walter Raleigh issued a charter to establish a colony at Roanoke. It was the responsibility of Raleigh to make the necessary provisions to complete the journeys to the New World and accomplish the goals of the charter. This entailed hiring ship captains and their crews, recruiting possible colonists, purchasing food and other supplies, and finding those who would invest capital in the missions. Raleigh however did not actively participate in the journeys to Roanoke Island; he was just the organizer and major financier.

The purpose of the first few trips to Roanoke was to contact and establish friendly relations with native tribes in the area, fortify of the island, and search for an appropriate place for a permanent settlement. Another task included an attempt to leave a small force of men behind, while the ships returned to England for supplies, which were needed to finish fortifying the island, to continue the search for a permanent settlement sight, and to keep an English hold on the island. The effort failed due to the lack of supplies, weather conditions, and the strained relations with the native tribes, both violent and non-violent. Just when the situation was becoming dire, a ship came to their rescue and took many of the men back to England.

A reestablishment of the colony was attempted. It was decided that John White would be the governor. Unfortunately, Indians attacked the colonists numerous times and all their supplies ran out. They decided to send White to obtain supplies in England. He left behind his daughter and his granddaughter, Virginia Dare who was the first child of European decent born in America. When John White arrived in England, the country was involved with a war between Spain and themselves. When White finally was able to come back, 2 years later, there was no one to greet them on the shores of Roanoke Island. There was only an eerie silence. The entire colony was abandoned. As the ship's crew inspected the city they had called Raleigh, one man found "CROA" carved on a tree. To this day the whereabouts of this colony is a mystery.

Twenty years later, Bartholomew Gosnold finally convinced wealthy English investors that there was a need for colonists in the real world, and as a result, The Virginia Company was formed.

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