EARLY ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS

Chapter 3, Section 1

Introduction

►1588 Spain declares war on England.

►Spanish Armada: Huge Spanish naval fleet.

►Sent to England for an invasion.

►132 ships, 30,000 troops and 2,400 cannon.

Introduction

►Upset: Spanish Armada was defeated by a swifter English fleet.

►Marked the decline of Spanish control of the seas.

►Paved the way for England and other nations to start colonies in North America.

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

► In 1584 Queen Elizabeth gave Sir Walter Raleigh the right to claim land in North America. In 1587 Raleigh sent 91 men, 17 women and 9 children to settle Roanoke Island, off the coast of present day North Carolina. What happened to the colony is one of the greatest mysteries in American history.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

►In 1587 Raleigh sent 91 men, 17 women and 9 children to settle Roanoke Island, off the coast of present day North Carolina.\

► What happened to the colony is one of the greatest mysteries in American history.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

►The colonist arrived in July of 1587.

►On August 18, 1587, Eleanor Dare gave birth to a daughter she named Virginia.

►This child had the distinction of being the first English child born on American soil.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

►John White headed the colony.

►White soon realized he needed many more supplies.

►In September White set sail for England in order to gain more supplies.

►White expected to return in only a few months.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

►Upon his arrival in England, White found himself trapped by the impending invasion of the Spanish Armada.

►Two years later he departed for Roanoke Island.

►He arrived on August 18, 1590 and found the settlement at Roanoke completely deserted.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

►What happened to the colony?

►What happened to the settlers is a complete mystery!

►Historians have tried to piece together the true story as to the disappearance of the colonist but no one knows for sure.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

► Theories are:

1. The English settlers left the colony and many went to live with the Pembroke Indians.

2. The Roanoke settlers split into two parties each going their separate ways.

► It is likely that this will always remain a

mystery.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

►When White returned to the colony, the only thing he found was the word “CROATOAN” carved into a tree.

Jamestown Settlement

► In June of 1606, King James I granted a charter to the Virginia Company.

►The goal was to establish an English settlement in the Chesapeake region of North America.

► Investors bought stock in the company with the hope of gaining a share of future profits.

Jamestown Settlement

►In 1606 the Virginia Company sent 144 settlers (men and boys) in 3 ships to build a new colony in North America.

►The settlers were supposed to look for gold and attempt to establish trade.

Jamestown Settlement

►In April 1607, the ships entered Chesapeake Bay and sailed up a river. The colonists named the river the James River and their new settlement Jamestown to honor their king. Jamestown was built on a peninsula so they could defend it from attack.

Jamestown Settlement

► Jamestown had problems from the very beginning.

1. Jamestown was built on swampy land and swarmed with mosquitoes.

2. Jamestown lacked an irrigation system so the land was not the best for farming.

3. Settlers spent the majority of time searching for gold and silver (that did not exist) instead of trying to grow crops.

► In 1608 when ships arrived with supplies and more settlers, only 38 of the original Jamestown colonists remained alive.

Jamestown Settlement

►One of the main reasons the colony survived its first two years was because of a 27 year old man; Captain John Smith.

Jamestown Settlement

►Smith was an experienced soldier and explorer. Smith forced settlers to work, explored the surrounding area and managed to acquire corn from local Native Americans led by Chief Powhatan.

Jamestown Settlement

► In August 1609, 400 new settlers arrived at Jamestown.

►Two months later John Smith was injured in a gunpowder explosion and had to return to England.

►The winter of 1609 was known as “the starving time” in Jamestown.

►To make things worse, Jamestown experienced Indian attacks during this time as well.

Jamestown Settlement

►When even more settlers arrived in the spring, they found only 60 survivors (out of the original 438).

Jamestown Settlement

►Did anything good happen in Jamestown?

► John Rolfe perfected a method of growing tobacco. This crop was sent back to England where it was very popular and made huge profit.

►Relations with Native Americans also improved when John Rolfe married Indian princess Pocahontas.

Jamestown Settlement

►House of Burgesses: established in Jamestown and became the law making body of the Virginia colony.

►Was a representative government in which colonists elected law makers.

►Shared power with a king appointed governor.

►Could help pass laws and set taxes.

Jamestown Settlement

►Marriage and children eventually became a part of life in Virginia.

►In 1619 the first Africans (slaves) came to Jamestown.

►Some slaves could gain freedom after working for a certain number of years.

Jamestown Settlement

►In the early 1620’s, the Virginia Company (who sponsored the Jamestown colony) faced financial trouble.

►In 1624 King James canceled the company’s charter and made Jamestown the first royal colony for England in America.

Jamestown Settlement

►Jamestown is important because it was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.