The attempted colonisation of Virginia Flashcards
What were the two main reasons why Sir Walter Raleigh wanted to colonise Virginia?
Undermining Spain
Economic benefits
In what year did Raleigh send an initial fact-finding expedition to Virginia?
1584
What did Raleigh’s fact-finding mission to Virginia report about the conditions there?
Fertile land, full of animals that could be hunted for food
Who returned back from Virginia to England with the 1584 fact-finding expedition?
Two Native Americans, Manteo and Wanchese
What did Thomas Harriot do to communicate with Manteo and Wanchese?
Learned their language (Algonquian) and taught them English, then made an English-Algonquian ‘dictionary’
What did Elizabeth do to support Raleigh’s quest to colonise Virginia?
Gave him a ship and gunpowder worth £400
What did Raleigh promise to investors that encouraged Elizabeth’s courtiers to invest in the expedition to Virginia?
He promised that he would take any Spanish ships he came across
How many colonists sailed to Virginia in the first expedition in 1585?
How many had Raleigh hoped for?
108 set sail
Raleigh had hoped for 300
What job did almost half the colonists on the first expedition do?
They were soldiers
Who were the leaders of the first Virginia expedition? Did they get along?
Sir Richard Grenville and Ralph Lane
They did not get along
How many ships were sent to Virginia on the first expedition?
Five
How many ships carried the food for the colonists for when they arrived in Virginia in 1585?
Just one - the Tiger
When did the ships leave England for the first Virginia expedition? Why was this a problem?
9 April 1585
Too late to plant the crops to see them through the winter
What happened to the Tiger ship as it arrived in North America?
It hit rocks and seawater entered the hold
Why did the running aground of the Tiger cause problems for the colonists?
It meant the supplies and food were damaged - the dried peas and beans were rescued but could not be planted - and made the English dependent on the Native Americans
Why were the positive descriptions of Virginia found to be untrue by the 1585 expedition?
They had hoped to find precious metals, but there were none
What did Sir Richard Grenville do two months after the 1585 expedition arrived in Virginia?
He went back to England for more settlers and supplies
What problems did the hunters face in the 1585 expedition?
Most of the gunpowder was spoiled when the Tiger damaged its hull, so they could not shoot pigeon or deer
What problems did the fishermen face in the 1585 expedition?
English fishing techniques did not work in the shallow waters around Roanoke Island
What advantage did the 1585 colonists have in trying to build relations with the natives on Roanoke?
They had Manteo and Wanchese with them, who could help them to communicate
Who was the chief on Roanoke Island?
Wingina
What did Wingina believe about the English that scared the native Americans? Why did he believe this?
He believed the English had supernatural powers
The English seemed to have the power to kill the natives without touching them (they were actually bringing new diseases with them)
What did chief Wingina decide to do by the spring of 1586 and why?
He asked other chiefs to help him attack the English
He had grown tired of demands for food from the settlers
How did the people on the 1587 expedition to Virginia differ from those on the 1585 expedition?
They came from some of London’s poorest families and so they were used to hardship and would be willing to work on the colony
How much land was guaranteed to each family on the 1587 expedition?
500 acres
Why did the 1587 expedition aim to land further north than Roanoke Island?
They were told that there were gold mines further north
Who led the 1587 expedition to Virginia?
John White
Why did the 1587 expedition land at Roanoke again, despite aiming to land further north?
The master pilot was worried about hurricanes and refused to go further
Why did John White have to abandon the 1587 colony?
All ships were needed for defence against the Spanish Armada
Why was Manteo’s attack against local Roanoke native Americans misguided?
They ended up killing friendly native Americans from nearby settlements instead
What nickname was later given to the 1587 expedition to Virginia?
The Lost Colony
