Essay Sample on Roanoke Colony

The Roanoke colony was the first English settlement in the United States. Europeans were sent by Queen Elizabeth to America to find gold and silver as well as a new route to the Pacific. Sir Walter Raleigh sponsored the Roanoke colony. Raleigh first sent Barlowe and Drake to explore the land, when they returned with brilliant reports on the land the queen was very impressed and allowed Raleigh one hundred men and women to settle the land. The first colony was a failure,  being led by military commander Ralph Lane. The first colony's failure was caused by a lack of resources and poor relationships with the Native Americans. Later, Lane abandoned his colony and returned to England. John White was the main leader of the second voyage to America in 1585, he was a well-trusted man. White was also a mapmaker, he led the people to this new land. The voyage was long and tiring, traveling through brutal storms and having. Once they reached their destination, he was voted governor of the colony. Later once the colony settled, they started to run out of supplies so, White was forced to return to England to restock. Shortly after reaching England, White’s ship was taken, because of the Spanish Armada in 1588. This issue delayed his return to the colony for three years. When returning, the colony was wiped out there was nothing left behind except for the word Croatoan. Croatoan was the name of the neighboring native tribe. Before White’s departure, the tribe had considered relocating so upon White’s return to emptiness, he assumed that was what the tribe did. White had lost everything, his family, friends, and supporters. He then sailed back to England to notify the people about the disappointing news of the colony's disappearance. He begged the queen to let him return to the empty colony to search for them, the queen never allowed him or anyone to return to search for the lost colony.

For many years, Archaeologists have tried to prove what exactly has happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island, although the mystery has never been fully solved. Many theories exist that explain the disappearance of the colony. Some theories suggest that the colonists left the island to live with friendly neighboring colonies. Others suggest that natural storms wiped out the colony or that a savage Indian tribe massacred them. The possibility of disease destroying them is also a debated topic. However, most evidence suggests that the men and women left behind on Roanoke Island did not die because of massacres, disease, or storms but starvation or relocation. The access to resources and ideas of relocation were the main reasons for the disappearance of the Roanoke colony. 

The exploration of the Roanoke colony wasn’t supported enough by England, the mother country, which led to a lack of resources. Queen Elizabeth allowed the journey to the Roanoke colony but she wasn’t as interested in it as expected.  She made about three trips out to them over the years, her trips were cut short most of the time, which gave the colony a lack of attention (Kuhlemann 55). Unlike most leaders, she never really cared to voyage out to the colony to show her interest or provide for them. After the failure of the first colony, the queen was hesitant to allow for more people to return, but Raleigh, being close to the queen, convinced her. This shows how the colony wasn’t important to the queen (Kuhlemann 55). Queen Elizabeth showed little attention to the colony and when White returned to gather more supplies for the fading colony it was apparent how insignificant the colony was to her. 

The colony’s lack of importance during the British Revolution led to their ship being taken, from their mother country, for use in war purposes. The colony has now been at Roanoke for a while and the infertile land was causing a lack of food. As the colony's governor, White volunteered to return to England for needed supplies (Hogeback). When the White returned to collect more supplies for the dying colony, his ship was taken by the government to be used during the Spanish Armada (Horwitz 308). This issue shows the colonies little importance to their government. The needed supplies were put on hold because of the high demand for products during the war (Cascone). White patiently waits for the “remedy” for his dying colony, and three years later, he can return to his home. 

The colony was accepted into neighboring colonies. A very expected outcome of the colony is that they moved into other colonies because they needed more supplies but with the supplies being put on backorder they had to look to other options. They may have traveled to neighboring colonies asking for support and remaining with them (Hogeback). They probably returned the favor for working in the colonies and accepting their traditions into their life. Many historians believe this theory to be the most likely outcome of the lost colony. Archaeologists also find pieces of English pottery in Native American campgrounds (Cascone). This evidence proves to many of the people that the colony did move and disperse among the neighboring colonies.

The colony may have relocated to find the best natural resources or shelter from neighboring colonies. After White leaves the colony, they may move to look for better resources. They also could be escaping from neighboring countries that may have attacked them while White was in England. “When Archeologists reexamined White’s map, they found that he had created, with watercolor, writing in invisible ink that outlined two forts that the colonists may have relocated to” (Cascone). 

This evidence shows that the colony was planning to move or move while white was gone. Before White left for England, the colony considered relocating fifty miles into the mainland after the natives' attack (Miller 13). This fact tells us that either way the colony may have relocated and with White unable to return to Roanoke after the queen denied his second search party, they could have created a whole new colony there. 

Other Historians believe that the tribe intermarried with the native colonies that they joined.  The Roanoke tribe merged into some friendly Native American tribes. Throughout generations, intermarriage between the natives and the English would produce the Lumbee tribe The Lumbee tribe is native to North Carolina, yet no certain lineage can be pinned down. The tribe's history links them to the Roanoke settlers, and this tradition is supported by some of their family names and the tribe's ability to read and write English. Surnames of some of the Roanoke colonists, like Dial, Hyatt, and Taylor, were shared by Lumbee tribe members as early as 1719 (Chandler). This fact explains why Native Americans had gray eyes and spoke English well.

Other lesser-known colonial theories are murder, disease, drowning, and division. Some or all of the colonists may have moved to Croatoan. At least some of them went on to the Chowan River area or the south side of the Chesapeake Bay (Carolina). In addition, some may have traveled south toward Robeson County.The colonists may have divided between the tribes so that they could survive. Some of the native colonies probably couldn't have provided for all of them, so the division was necessary for survival. Three years after White’s departure, the colony may have tried to sail to England to obtain the resources it needs.  The group sailed for England in a boat that had been left with them by White in 1587 and was lost in the Atlantic (Carolina). The colonists had a small ship, called Pinnace, left for them to use after John White left. Others may think that since all this was occurring during the Spanish Armada maybe the Spaniards came and captured the rest of the colony. The colonists were removed to Spain, tried, jailed, or put to death (Carolina). Spain wanted to maintain control of the land and riches of the Western Hemisphere so they captured them.

For decades, the mystery of the Roanoke tribe has not been solved, but archaeologists agree that starvation and relocation are the main reasons for the disappearance of this tribe. Due to Queen Elizabeth's lack of interest in the colony, the people were forced to find a different way of providing for themselves. Through relocation to find more natural resources or interlink with different surrounding colonies. White had lost all of his family and friends, never being able to see them again.