Raleigh and Virginia

Question 1

what happened in 1584

Answer 1

Raleigh plans new colonisation of north america and sends a team to explore Virginia and report back to him

Question 2

what happened in 1585

Answer 2

english colonisation of virginia begins; 107 men set out for roanoke, virginia

Question 3

what happened in 1586

Answer 3

the surviving colonists abandon the colony, after struggling to feed themselves and facing hostile indians and go back to england

Question 4

what happened in 1587

Answer 4

new english colonists return to virginia and set up a colony at roanoke

Question 5

what happened in 1590

Answer 5

english sailors arrive at roanoke and discover that is has been abandoned and all of its colonists have disappeared

Question 6

who was sir walter raleigh

Answer 6

a noblemen and a courtier he became an explorer during elizabeths reign

Question 7

when did elizabeth give raleigh a grant to explore and settle lands in north america

Answer 7

1584

Question 8

what were the 6 reasons why virginia was colonised

Answer 8

• trade
• england would be less dependent on spain, france, italy for imported goods
• welcoming and friendly natives
• raleigh was able to persuade investors that the trip would be profitable
• colonising virginia would provide a base to attack spains settlements and colonies
• a successful colony in virginia would make it easier to fun other ventures

Question 9

what did the colonists takes along

Answer 9

• food and salt for preserving it
• fresh water
• tools and equipment
• weapons to protect themselves from attack

Question 10

what are the 5 reasons the colonisation of virginia failed

Answer 10

• lack of food
• poor leadership
• lack of skills and experience
• native american attack
• the war with spain

Question 11

how did lack of food lead to the failure of the colony (2 reasons)

Answer 11

• unable to provide for themselves, those participating in the first expedition simply abandoned the colony in 1586
• the second ‘lost’ colony may also have struggled to feed itself, making the colonists dependent om local Indian tribes

Question 12

how did poor leadership lead to the failure of the colony (2 reasons)

Answer 12

• poor leadership meant that those involved in both expeditions had little direction or purpose
• this may explain the subsequent decision to abandon the first colony in 1586, as well as the fact that the second colony was found abandoned in 1590

Question 13

how did lack of skills and experience lead to the failure of the colony (3 reasons)

Answer 13

• merchants and landowners lacked physical capacity for manual work
• a lack of stonemasons meant that a stone fort was never built, leaving the colony vulnerable to indian attack
• soldiers could defend the expedition but lacked the ability to farm the land

Question 14

how did native american attack lead to the failure of the colony (3 reasons)

Answer 14

• winginia’s attack was beaten off but led to a crisis within the first expedition, forcing the colonists to abandon roanoke
• it is possible a second expedition was wiped out by an indian attack led by chief powhatan
• alternatively, an attack may have led to some of the settlers becoming slaves or being assimilated into local indian tribes

Question 15

how did war with spain lead to the failure of the colony (2 reasons)

Answer 15

• the threat from the armada meant that few ships were available to visit or resupply the colonists
• the colonists were increasingly isolated and vulnerable to attack

Question 16

what is the significance of the attempted colonisation of virginia

Answer 16

• the colony was a failure but it did serve as a template for future settlements, including that at jamestown in 1607
• by the end of the 17th century, 13 colonies, each with their own system of government, had been established along the eastern seaboard of the new world