Roanoke and Jamestown Colonies

Early America – European Influences Europe in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s Spain built an Empire in the Americas. (around Mexico, South and Central America, and the Caribbean) 1600s France established fur trading in present-day Canada In 1607, the English established colonies along the Atlantic coast.

Roanoke England’s first attempt to settle in North America On March 25, 1584, Queen Elizabeth I granted Sir Walter Raleigh a charter for the colonization of the area of North America known as Virginia (present day NC)

Roanoke First Exploratory Trip Amadas Barlowe Expedition Arrived in 1584 Scouted the land Established relationship with the surrounding Native Americans Secotans Croatoans Returned to England with two native americans Wanchese and Manteo Because of the information given Sir Walter Raleigh approved a second expedition

Roanoke Second Trip Lane Colony 1585 107 Military Men Set out to explore the land for natural resources instead of attempting to grow crops Relations with the surrounding Native Americans began to fall apart after an attack on Lane’s settlement because of a lost cup Lane responded by attacking the Native Americans and cutting off the head of their chief Returned back to England in 1586 after an unsuccessful attempt to organize a colony

Roanoke Third Attempt 1587 Lost Colony Lead by John White Were supposed to land at the Chesapeake Bay but instead were dropped of at Roanoke Island They began to establish a working colony with the help of the Croatoan tribe but the rest of the Native American tribes were not as welcoming With supplies running low and problems with the Native Americans growing, the colony elected John White to return to England and attempt to get help for the colony

Roanoke Third Attempt Lost Colony As plans were being made to bring supplies back to Roanoke, war broke out between England and Spain No trips were being taken to the new world as a result 3 years later White returned to find no real signs of the colony The only clue was the word "Croatoan" carved into a post of the fort and "Cro" carved into a nearby tree

Jamestown Founded in 1607 Financed by the Virginia Company of London A joint-stock company Had more than 100 colonists Face many hardships at the beginning Swampy land Poor climate for long-term farming Surrounded by Native American tribes Originally searched for gold instead of farming

Jamestown (cont.) By Jan. 1608, only 38 colonists remained alive In that same year, John Smith took control Built a wall around the settlement Persuaded the Powhatans to trade corn with the colonists Changed the overall work ethic of the settlers

Jamestown (cont.) After John Smith left the colony, trouble with the neighboring Native Americans lead to problems This lead to a “starving time” in which the settlers didn’t leave the walls of Jamestown Only 60 of the total 800 colonist survived when two ships of settlers arrived in 1610

Jamestown (cont.) Lord De La Warr assumed control and imposed strict discipline and the “starving time” ended In 1612, John Rolfe developed a version of tobacco that the colonists could grow which in turn became very popular in England. This allowed the colony to be prosperous This also lead to the need for new forms of labor in the colony Indentured servants African Americans (slaves; 1619)

Jamestown John Rolfe Married Pocahontas which strengthened relations with the Powhatan tribe

Jamestown (cont.) Colonists soon were annoyed with the strict rule of the governor and wanted more local control They formed the House of Burgesses in 1619 Made of elected representatives 1st representative assembly in the American colonies