Essay Lost Colony of Roanoke - 967 Words

For centuries, the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island has been a controversial issue. Many theories exist that explain the disappearance of the colony. Some theories suggest that the colonists left the island to live with friendly neighboring Indians. Others suggest that a hurricane wiped out the colony or that a savage Indian tribe massacred them. The possibility of disease destroying them is also a debated topic. However, evidence indicates that the men and women left behind on Roanoke Island did not die because of massacre, disease, or starvation but went to live with the Croatoan Indians. In 1587 a group of men, women, and children led by Sir John White set sail for America and landed on a North Carolina island called Roanoke (Shirley†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, physical proof indicates that after John White left the colony to return to England, the colonists intermarried with the Indians. According to David Beers Quinn, author of Set Fair for Roanoke, the colonists and the Indians did intermarry (350). The colonists intermarrying with the Indians would cause some of the offspring to have genetic traits unusual for Indians, such as blue eyes or light colored hair. In his article about the lost colony, Scott Dawson writes that an explorer named John Lawson discovered blue eyed Indians dressed in English apparel; Dawson also says that the Indians claimed to have â€Å"White† descendants (6). Therefore, by making Manteo lord of Roanoke and intermarrying with the Indians, the colonists proved their strong relationship with the Croatoans. Upon his return, John White met with no indications of the deaths of the colonists. Linda Kramer states that John White and the colonists agreed that in the event of leaving Roanoke, the colonists in a noticeable location would engrave the name of the place to which they were departing and that an engraving of a Maltese cross above the name of the location would signal leaving because of danger (3). When White returned to the colony after three years of being absent, he discovered one of the signals the colonists promised to engrave if they left. The Article â€Å"Lost: An American Colony† describes whatShow MoreRelatedRoanoke Island: the Lost Colony1691 Words   |  7 PagesRoanoke Island: The Lost Colony Alycia Roberts HIST113 VC On July 22, 1587, long before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, 117 hopeful colonists from England landed ashore onto a tiny island along the coast of what is today North Carolina. The group unpacked and founded a settlement, Roanoke Island. Then they vanished without a trace. The story of the Lost Colony has fascinated people across four centuries and remains one of the enduring mysteries of early America. There are several theoriesRead MoreEssay on The Lost Roanoke Colony741 Words   |  3 Pagesthought by most of our general population to be the first colony in the New World. This is only half true. Jamestown is considered our first successful colony, however it was not our first attempt at a colony. There were a few attempts to colonize the New World before Jamestown and one in particular that is found to be interesting is Roanoke also known as the Lost Colony. It received this name due to the fact that the colonists that settled this colony disappeared very mysteriously. This poses the questionRead MoreFinding The Lost Colony Of Roanoke Essay2058 Words   |  9 PagesEnglish put forth their effort to establish in America, specifically on Roanoke island. In 1584, English colonies found east coast of North America but not permanently settled. Until 1587. Raleigh, John White and a group of 115 English settlers arrived at Roanoke Island. Although this great achievement had inflated nation s economy and promote country’s prosperity, its reign didn’t last long. John White came back to Roanoke after 3 years of disappearance. After his arrival, John had no clue whereRead MoreThe Mystery Of The Lost Colony Of Roanoke2021 Words   |  9 PagesThe mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke is a puzzling mystery about what happened to the first English settlers in America. The question is, what actually happened to them, because even with evidence and research no one knows for absolute certain what actually did happen. The disappearance of an enti re colony, who left behind a dismantled settlement and the word Croatoan etched into a tree has stumped many archaeologists. Countless theories have arisen, some more outrageous than the restRead More The Mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Essay2868 Words   |  12 PagesMystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke It was the age of discovery that first provoked intrigue and curiosity of new lands, particularly the Americas, and how the Europeans could expand to fit their society within the borders of this unknown and unexplored land. By the 1580s, more had been learned about the Americas, but any colonization until this point had not even been attempted. And so it was the English, under Queen Elizabeth Is rule, that were issued to establish a colony along the eastRead MoreThe Disappearance Of The Lost Colony1598 Words   |  7 PagesPlymouth, England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to start a new life on the Outer Banks. This colony of over one hundred people disappeared from the Roanoke Island region, never to be seen again (Kramer 2). For over 400 years, historians and archeologists have attempted to determine what happened. Although there are several popular theories regarding the disappearance of the Lost Colony, the theory with the most evidence for being accurate is the migration theory. The two previous expeditionsRead MoreThe Mystery of the Lost Colony941 Words   |  4 PagesFor centuries the disappearance of the Roanoke colonists has been one of the great mysteries in the historical community. Within the span of three years, 120 colonists disappeared from an English colony on Roanoke Island, a small piece of land off the coast of North Carolina. The evidence left behind barely gives us a clue as to what could have happened to the entire colony. With the testimony of John White, the leader of the colony that left the settlement to get more supplies, and what little evidenceRead MoreThe Mystery of the Disappearance of Roanoke1220 Words   |  5 Pages The settlement at Roanoke was the first attempt to colonize the New World. The settlement at Roanoke is often referred to as the â€Å"Lost Colony† because of its unusual disappearance. The reason people often do not know about the first settlement at Roanoke is because it was abandoned, forgotten, and lost. The Roanoke settlement was located on an island on the northern coast of what is now North Carolina. A few more than a hundred English men first settled the colony at Roanoke Island in 1584. TheRead MoreQueen Elizabeth I Of England967 Words   |  4 PagesQueen and the Christian faith. In 1585, the first English settlers populated the new colony of Roanoke. By establishing Roanoke, the English hoped to launch trade with the Native Americans and mount piracy attacks on the ships of the enemy Spanish fleet. Queen Elizabeth sponsored â€Å"privateering† by motivating English sailors to raid and pillage Spanish ships, and having an English colony near the Spanish colonies would increase the effectiveness of privateering. Elizabeth hoped that once the EnglishRead MoreThe Fate Of The Colonists1366 Words   |  6 Pagesin his colony in Roanoke, VA and came back two years later (Lane). Everything had completely vanished. How could someone leave and when they get back everything is just gone? Roanoke Colony completely vanished nothing left; no bodies, no supplies, but there are many theories dealing with the fate of the colonists. In 1584, Raleigh was granted a patent by Queen Elizabeth I to colonize in America (Lane). Raleigh sent explorers Philip Amadas, and Artur Barloue to scout the island of Roanoke. They