3.4 Raleigh and Virginia

Question 1

Walter Raleigh was an explorer and…

Answer 1

a member of the gentry.

Question 2

in 1584, Elizabeth gave Raleigh a…

Answer 2

grant to explore and settle in lands in North America.

Question 3

Raleigh never led the colonists to Virginia himself, but he was significant because…

Answer 3

1. he investigated, organised and raised funds for the establishment of English colonies in Virginia.
2. he promoted the voyage and persuaded potential colonists to invest and settle in Virginia.
3. he appointed the governor of Virginia who ruled in his place.
4. he developed a ‘blueprint’ that was to be used for later English colonisation.

Question 4

How did Raleigh convince English people to leave their homes and make the dangerous voyage across the Atlantic?

Answer 4

• opportunities to make money
• Raleigh sent a fact-finding expedition to Virginia in 1584. The explorers who went were able to barter (trade/exchange goods)
• The Indians were welcoming
• The accounts brought back to England described Virginia as a paradise

Question 5

Explain why Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia: To Expand English Power and Rival Spain

Answer 5

Spain was the dominant European power, enriched by colonies in the Americas.

Colonising Virginia was a way for England to gain a foothold in the New World, challenge Spain’s empire, and break its monopoly on wealth from the Americas.

England hoped to use the colony as a base for attacking Spanish ships and ports (especially privateering).

Question 6

Explain why Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia: Economic motives

Answer 6

Raleigh and his backers hoped Virginia would provide:

Precious metals (like gold and silver)

Cash crops (especially sugar, tobacco, etc.)

A source of raw materials (like timber and pitch for ships)

A new market for English goods

It was also hoped that colonisation would reduce poverty and overpopulation in England by providing land and work abroad.

Question 7

Explain why Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia: Honouring elizabeth

Answer 7

Raleigh was a favourite of Elizabeth I, and she granted him a royal patent in 1584 to explore and colonise lands not already claimed by a Christian power.

Success would enhance Raleigh’s status at court and potentially make him very wealthy.

Naming the colony “Virginia” was in honour of Elizabeth, the “Virgin Queen.”

Question 8

Explain why Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia: Humanism, and spreading Protestantism

Answer 8

Inspired by the Age of Discovery, explorers like Raleigh were driven by curiosity, ambition, and national pride.

Colonisation was tied to ideas of civilising “New World” peoples, spreading Protestant Christianity, and competing with Catholic nations like Spain and France.

They also believed that it was their duty to civilise Native American communities.

Question 9

Explain why attempts to colonise Virginia in the 1580s, failed: Problems on the voyage to the new world

Answer 9

The ship, the Tiger became damaged. Seawater was let in which ruined the food it was carrying and seeds for planting.

The gunpowder had been spoiled by the seawater and so the hunters struggled to shoot game like pigeons. The English fishing techniques did not work in the shallow waters.

Question 10

Explain why Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia: Problems and inexperience amongst the colonists

Answer 10

1. left England too late to plant crops
2. some were ill before they even arrived
3. the colonists were dependent on the Native Americans for food
4. some were not prepared for intensive labour, and did not put in the necessary groundwork for establishing a working colony - they just wanted to make money.
5. the soldier types did not have the skills needed to farm the land and were not disciplined.

Question 11

Explain why Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia: Lack of resources

Answer 11

1. there was no stone for stonemasons and so the planned forts were built with wood.
2. the food rotted quickly due to the hot climate.
3. the colonists had hoped to find precious metals to become rich, but none were found.
4. the inexperienced colonist were very reliant on the native Americans for their survival.

Question 12

Explain why Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia: Resistance from Native Americans

Answer 12

1. there were violent clashes between the natives and the English - Wingina was killed.
2. when the English arrived, they brought with them English diseases - Wingina and the other natives though that the English were evil and supernatural, as many died from strange causes.
3. the merchants and upper class colonists had wanted to use the natives for labour - ruling over the natives was difficult though - the colonists were bloody lazy.
4. the Roanoke Indians were hostile - the Indians were suspected of murdering some of the colonists.

Question 13

Despite the failure of the expedition, the attempts to colonise Virginia did have some impact:

Answer 13

1. laid the foundations for eventual colonisation of America
2. returned a profit due to captured Spanish ships and privateering.
3. increased navigational knowledge.
4. the colonisers brought back new spices and potatoes.
5. the paintings produced by John White were great evidence for the people and cultures they encountered.
6. they discovered new plants and animals in those regions - acquired knowledge.