THE LOST COLONY WHY DID THIS DISASTER KEEP ENGLAND AWAY FROM NORTH CAROLINA FOR 50 YEARS?

How did the colony come about? Queen Elizabeth granted patents to first sir humphrey gilbert &walter raleigh to discover remote lands for colonization

Who were philip amadas & arthur barlowe? Raleigh sent these two men to explore. They wound up in the outer banks in an inlet the Indians called Roanoke.

What is the significance of July 13, 1584? This is for practical reasons, the birth date of North Carolina. Amadas & Barlowe held a ceremony on the beach at Roanoke.

How much planning did the explorers do? For 6 weeks they surveyed the area, taking notes of the land. They paid attention to how suitable the area was for colonization.

Back to England to report They returned with notebooks, samples of plants, and two Indians named Manteo & Wanchese. Oddly enough, this is a claim that English historians vehemently deny.

What happened the second trip? In the spring of 1585, newly knighted “Sir” Walter Raleigh sent two ships with Richard Grenville in command. Ralph lane was to build a permanent fort for settlement.

What experts accompanied them? Thomas Harriot was a well-known poet, mathematician, and scientist. He is even credited with an early version of the telescope. He also helped to develop Algebra. John White, an artist was commissioned to paint the surrounding area.

The Failure of Fort Raleigh While Harriot and White explored the sounds and the Outer Banks, Ralph Lane & 100 Soldiers built a Fort & named it “Ft. Raleigh”. Being the obnoxious Englishmen they were, they soon fought amongst themselves and eventually the local Indians.

In Less Than A Year…. The colony is in peril. Lane & his soldiers had murdered the local chief and a number of Indians. The Indians were not too happy about this (DUH!) Food supplies dwindled without the local Indians help.

More Bad Luck (Or just Karma?) Sir Francis Drake showed up with a small fleet and the colonists thought things would turn around. WRONG! Just as Drake pulled in a hurricane bared down on the Outer Banks. Drake sailed back to England leaving captured slaves & other Indians behind. John Lawson would later identify these slaves as Hatteras Indians.

Not Long After…. The Englishmen left with Drake leaving the prisoners to guard the fort. Richard Grenville arrived soon after and found the Fort abandoned. It is believed the slaves were hiding. Grenville returned to the Caribbean to loot and plunder and harass the Spanish fleet. Fort Raleigh was a complete failure. It has been reconstructed & is a landmark on Roanoke Island.