FYI: This week in American History I am studying about the Roanoke & Jamestown colonies. Here's an essay on Roanoke I wrote that I thought you might enjoy. :)
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Why did England’s first colony in the New World fail? There are several, crucial reasons why the colonies on Roanoke Island did not make it.
The first colony on Roanoke was started in 1585, led by Richard Grenville. While settling on an island seemed a very good idea to start with (hey, England’s on an island!) it was a very poor choice. Roanoke had very poor soil, so that meant not much if any farming was done. And Grenville had not planned very well on the subject of supplies. Thus, the 100 colonists had little food.
Lucky for Roanoke, someone happens along their way. Someone by the name of Francis Drake, fresh from the Caribbean, checks on the colony. Drake figures he’s going to make some repairs there, and drop off some supplies. And what happens when he’s there?
A hurricane of killer strength roars through Roanoke, virtually flattening it to the ground. Four ships in Drake’s fleet are lost. No surprise, all the colonists want to go home. Drake gives the approval, the colonists load onto Drake’s remaining 3 ships, and sail for home. England’s first Roanoke colony lasted for one year, and failed because of lack of food, supplies, and planning.
It’s now 1587—one year after the original Roanoke group went home. England has got to colonize, and so they do. In 1587 John Waite leads another expedition to colonize the New World. There are 115 men, with 17 women and 9 children. After the terrible experiences on Roanoke, they have strict orders to not colonize on Roanoke. (Wonder why?) The orders this time is to colonize around the Chesapeake Bay. But for some terrible reason Waite puts the new colonists right back on Roanoke. (Can you say BAAAAAD idea??)
But the new settlers were unprepared—they underestimated the hardship they would endure in the New World. There were Indian attacks, and shortage of food. So the colonists on Roanoke came to a decision. They would have to get supplies—from England. But would they uproot the whole colony or just send back a man, or a select group? These colonists had come to stay; they had brought their women and children! The decision was reached that John Waite would sail to England to get supplies.
So Waite did. He got the supplies, and was ready to sail with Grenville, who had led the first Roanoke colonization expedition. But then tragedy struck. A war broke out between Spain and England, and every ship and every man had to be involved. Grenville and Waite didn’t sail.
Finally Waite got a ship and started sailing. But on the way to Roanoke he was looted and robbed (probably by the Spanish!) and barely made it back to port alive. But John Waite did not give up. He had his own family on Roanoke! Finally he sailed a third time. After a diversion in the Caribbean, Waite and his crew sailed north to Roanoke. There must have been trepidation and fear in his heart. It had been 3 years since John Waite had left for supplies! Had the colony survived?
Waite and his crew approached the island. They knew Indians were about, and they saw what they thought was a campfire. So they blew their trumpets. No answer. Then the crew started singing songs of England. Still no response. They got to the island. After disembarking, they looked for the colonists. But the worst fears had been realized. The Roanoke colonists had vanished. All that was left was the word “Croatoan” scratched onto a tree. Perhaps the colonists went inland to the Indians, but anyway you look at it, the colonists vanished and England’s first colony failed.
The first colony on Roanoke was started in 1585, led by Richard Grenville. While settling on an island seemed a very good idea to start with (hey, England’s on an island!) it was a very poor choice. Roanoke had very poor soil, so that meant not much if any farming was done. And Grenville had not planned very well on the subject of supplies. Thus, the 100 colonists had little food.
Lucky for Roanoke, someone happens along their way. Someone by the name of Francis Drake, fresh from the Caribbean, checks on the colony. Drake figures he’s going to make some repairs there, and drop off some supplies. And what happens when he’s there?
A hurricane of killer strength roars through Roanoke, virtually flattening it to the ground. Four ships in Drake’s fleet are lost. No surprise, all the colonists want to go home. Drake gives the approval, the colonists load onto Drake’s remaining 3 ships, and sail for home. England’s first Roanoke colony lasted for one year, and failed because of lack of food, supplies, and planning.
It’s now 1587—one year after the original Roanoke group went home. England has got to colonize, and so they do. In 1587 John Waite leads another expedition to colonize the New World. There are 115 men, with 17 women and 9 children. After the terrible experiences on Roanoke, they have strict orders to not colonize on Roanoke. (Wonder why?) The orders this time is to colonize around the Chesapeake Bay. But for some terrible reason Waite puts the new colonists right back on Roanoke. (Can you say BAAAAAD idea??)
But the new settlers were unprepared—they underestimated the hardship they would endure in the New World. There were Indian attacks, and shortage of food. So the colonists on Roanoke came to a decision. They would have to get supplies—from England. But would they uproot the whole colony or just send back a man, or a select group? These colonists had come to stay; they had brought their women and children! The decision was reached that John Waite would sail to England to get supplies.
So Waite did. He got the supplies, and was ready to sail with Grenville, who had led the first Roanoke colonization expedition. But then tragedy struck. A war broke out between Spain and England, and every ship and every man had to be involved. Grenville and Waite didn’t sail.
Finally Waite got a ship and started sailing. But on the way to Roanoke he was looted and robbed (probably by the Spanish!) and barely made it back to port alive. But John Waite did not give up. He had his own family on Roanoke! Finally he sailed a third time. After a diversion in the Caribbean, Waite and his crew sailed north to Roanoke. There must have been trepidation and fear in his heart. It had been 3 years since John Waite had left for supplies! Had the colony survived?
Waite and his crew approached the island. They knew Indians were about, and they saw what they thought was a campfire. So they blew their trumpets. No answer. Then the crew started singing songs of England. Still no response. They got to the island. After disembarking, they looked for the colonists. But the worst fears had been realized. The Roanoke colonists had vanished. All that was left was the word “Croatoan” scratched onto a tree. Perhaps the colonists went inland to the Indians, but anyway you look at it, the colonists vanished and England’s first colony failed.
In conclusion, why did Roanoke fail? It failed for several reasons. First, there was just plain poor planning for both colonization attempts. Roanoke Island itself had poor farming land, crucial to the survival of any colony. There was the great hurricane, and the Indian attacks. The people were unprepared too, underestimating the hardships they would have to deal with. And finally, the supply ships did not reach Roanoke in time because of the war with Spain.
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