Elizabeth - Colonisation of Virginia

Question 1

Who was Walter Raleigh

Answer 1

Became an explorer & courtier during reign of Eliz. In 1584, he was given grant from Eliz to explore & settle in North American lands

Question 2

Significance of Walter Raleigh

Answer 2

• Investigated, organised & raised funds for the establishment of an English colony in Virginia.
• Promoted the voyage & persuaded people to leave England & settle in a land they knew little about.
• Appointed the governor of Virginia
• Developed a blueprint that was to be used for later English colonisations

Question 3

Organising the Virginia Project

Answer 3

• finding colonists & sailors willing to cross the Atlantic was difficult. In the end, Raleigh’s colony only had 107 colonists (rather than 300 hoped for)
• Eliz did not want to risk her favourite courtier in case needed in England as fear of a Spanish invasion grew.

Question 4

Reasons for colonisation of Virginia

Answer 4

• Provided Eng with a base from which to attack Spanish colonies in the New World - whilst staying reasonably safe
• Eliz encouraged English merchants to find new markets as the conflict with Spain made trading in Europe increasingly difficult. Many things that were supplied from southern Europe and the Mediterranean could be provided from Virginia.

Question 5

Reasons for failure of colonisation of Virginia

Answer 5

• The colonists left Eng too late to reach Vriginia in time to plant crops.
• The ‘Tiger’ was damaged - a breach in the hull let in seawater that ruined the food supplies, including seeds for planting.
• The colonists soon realised that the idyllic descriptions and reports of Virginia they had been given were far from reality. Many merchants had come in the hopes of getting rich quickly rather than being prepared to put in groundwork.
• The colonists did not co-operate effectively. The merchants had no intention of doing any physical work -
• Although the colonists had Manteo & Wanchese to help establish relations with the Algonquian ppl, it was not enough. The local Chief, Wingina, who ruled over Roanoke, has suspicions of the English and grew tired of the constant demands for food.

Question 6

When was the 2nd attempt at colonising Virginia after the failure

Answer 6

1587

Question 7

What was different about the 2nd attempt at colonising Virginia

Answer 7

This time, there were 17 women & several families on board, many coming from London’s poverty-stricken alleys - so would be familiar w hardships & willing to work hard for better life in New World

Question 8

Who was put in charge of 2nd attempt at colonising Virginia

Answer 8

• Manteo was made Lord of Roanoke by Raleigh
• John White was put in charge of the expedition. White had already survived the 1585 colonisation & so knew what to expect.

Question 9

What happened on the 2nd attempt at colonising Virginia

Answer 9

• Manteo led an attack agaisnt local Roanoke Indians as retaliation for the murder of George Howe. They killed some of the remaining friendly Indians from nearby Croatoan settlements by mistake.
• John White returned to Eng to update Raleigh on what had happened. When he returned to Roanoke, 3 years later in 1590, it was deserted.
• What happened to the settlements remain a mystery.