EARLY ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS

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EARLY ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS

• Chapter 3, Section 1

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Questions

• What was the Spanish Armada?
• Why is the Roanoke Colony a mystery in history?
• Who financed the Jamestown settlement?
• Why was Jamestown built on a peninsula?
• What problems did Jamestown experience?
• What was the starving time?
• Why is Jamestown important to American history?

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Spanish Dominance

• In the summer of 1588, Spanish warships sailed
  toward the coast of England. This fleet of ships
  was known as the Spanish Armada and consisted 132
  ships, 30,000 troops and 2,400 guns. At the
  time, the Spanish Armada was considered to be the
  mightiest naval force ever assembled.

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An English Upset

• Despite its huge size, the Spanish Armada was
  defeated by a swifter English fleet. The defeat
  of the Spanish Armada marked the end of Spanish
  control of the seas. The defeat also paved the
  way for England and other nations to start
  colonies in North America.

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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.

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Lost Colony of Roanoke

• Here is what we know about the English colony of
  Roanoke The colonist arrived in July of 1587.
  On August 18, 1587, Eleanor Dare gave birth to a
  daughter she named Virginia, thus earning the
  distinction of being the first English child born
  on American soil.

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Lost Colony of Roanoke

• A man by the name of John White was given charge
  of heading up the colony. As he and the new
  settlers began establishing the colony, White
  soon realized he needed many more supplies. In
  September White set sail for England in order to
  gain more supplies. White left his family behind
  at Roanoke and expected to return in only a few
  months.

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Lost Colony of Roanoke

• Upon his arrival in England, White found himself
  trapped by the impending invasion of the Spanish
  Armada. Finally, two years after the stunning
  defeat of the Armada, he again departed for
  Roanoke Island. He arrived on August 18, 1590 and
  found the settlement at Roanoke completely
  deserted, plundered.

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ROANOKE

• Roanoke became known as the colony that
  disappeared.

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Lost Colony of Roanoke

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

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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.

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Lost Colony of Roanoke

• Theories are
• The English settlers left the colony and many
  went to live with the Pembroke Indians.
• The Roanoke settlers split into two parties each
  going their separate ways.
• It is likely that this will always remain a
  mystery.

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Jamestown

• In June of 1606, King James I granted a charter
  (land agreement) to a group of London
  entrepreneurs (merchants), named The Virginia
  Company, to establish an English settlement in
  the Chesapeake region of North America. Upon the
  announcement, investors bought stock in the
  company with the hope of gaining a share of
  future profits.

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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.
  Forty of the settlers actually died on the voyage
  to North America.

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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.

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Jamestown Settlement

• Jamestown had problems from the very beginning!
• Jamestown was built on swampy land and swarmed
  with mosquitoes!
• Jamestown lacked an irrigation system so the land
  was not the best for farming.
• 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!

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Jamestown Settlement

• One of the main reasons the colony survived its
  first two years was because of their leader. A 27
  year old man.Captain John Smith.

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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.

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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. Jamestown settlers had no
  food and were forced to eat rats, sawdust, grubs
  and even leather from their belts!

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Starving Time

• To make things worse, Jamestown experienced
  Indian attacks.
• Chief Powhatan had become angry because the
  colonists were stealing native food stores.

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Starving Time

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

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Jamestown Settlement

• Did anything good happen in Jamestown?
• Although no gold or silver was found, one
  colonist named John Rolfe perfected a method of
  growing tobacco. Tobacco becomes a cash crop for
  Virginia.

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Jamestown Settlement

• In 1619 Jamestown gained the right for self
  representation in the colony, this government was
  known as the House of Burgesses.
• Also in 1619, the Virginia Company sent 90 women
  to Jamestown, thus, marriage and children became
  a part of life in Virginia.
• Also in 1619, 20 Africans were sold to Virginia
  tobacco planters. Until 1640 some African
  laborers were free and even owned property.

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Jamestown Settlement

• In the early 1620s, the Virginia Company (who
  sponsored the Jamestown colony) faced financial
  trouble. In 1624 King James canceled the
  companys charter and made Jamestown the first
  royal colony for England in America.

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Jamestown Settlement

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

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Pocahontas

• John Smith arrives in America. Is almost killed
  by natives.
• His life is saved by a beautiful native woman who
  can talk to animals.
• And they live happily ever after!

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WRONGGGGG!

• The Disney movie is wildly inaccurate!

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• Pocahontas was taken hostage for over a year by
  Jamestown colonists.
• she had helped the same
• colonists 5 years earlier
• when they were struggling
• to survive.

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• As an agreement for her release, she (17) married
  28 year old John Rolfe (the tobacco guy).

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The Real Pocahontas