The Lost Colony of Roanoke

The Inexplicable Disappearance of Roanoke Watch the video before moving on to the rest of the worksheet. Roanoke: A HistoryRead the text: This text is to provide you with some background about the Roanoke Colony. Roanoke: A History MysteryOne of the oldest mysteries in American history dates back over 400 years. Historians are still not sure what happened, but they have some theories. In England's attempt to establish its first settlement, colonists crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled in Roanoke Island, but they disappeared. What happened to them? This is the mystery of the "Lost Colony. “In 1587, England sent a large group of its people to establish the first English colony in the wild and unfamiliar land of America.England had tried to establish a colony in America two years before, in 1585, but the colonists ran out of food and returned to England.This second group of colonists landed on Roanoke Island in July 1587. Roanoke is on an island off the coast of North Carolina. The island features extensive wetlands, tall oak trees, and diverse wildlife. When the colonists arrived on Roanoke, they found the broken-down fort that the first group of colonists had left two years earlier. They decided to settle near that fort.England’s Roanoke colony consisted of approximately 120 people, primarily men, along with 17 women and nine children. The governor was John White. Another important colonist in the group was Eleanor Dare. Eleanor gave birth to a baby shortly after arriving in Roanoke. Baby Virginia Dare became the first English person born in America.John White returned to England in August 1587 to obtain more supplies. He planned to return to Roanoke right away. But Spain invaded England when he returned. England needed White’s ship to help fight the Spanish.John White was finally able to return to Roanoke three years later in 1590. When he arrived in Roanoke, he discovered that all the colonists were gone! There were no signs of life anywhere.The only clues left were the words "Croatoan" carved into a wooden post. He also found the letters "C-R-O" carved into a nearby tree. One thing John White knew - Native Americans lived on Croatoan Island just south of Roanoke.John White planned on going to Croatoan Island to see if the colonists had moved there. However, a great storm damaged some of the equipment on his ship, and he was forced to return to England. England never sent anyone to search for the colonists. The colonists were never found.England did not set up its first permanent colony in Jamestown until 1607.Even today, historians have still not found evidence that the colonists were ever on Croatoan Island. The mystery continues. What happened to the colonists?You will now have a chance to come up with your theory about what happened to “the Lost Colony.” Theory 1: Native Americans killed the colonists on Roanoke Island.When John White got back to Roanoke Island in 1590, he did not find any bones or bodies or any signs of fighting. Bones last a long time before they decay. Strong Theory or Weak Theory? Explain why. Theory 2: The colonists were all killed on Roanoke Island by disease.When the English first came to Virginia, they brought with them diseases, such as flu and smallpox, that were new to Native Americans. Native Americans had no immunity against these diseases, and many died very quickly. Letters written by the colonists tell us that the English remained healthy. Strong Theory or Weak Theory? Explain why. Theory 3: Their town was washed away by a hurricane, and the people drowned.When John White got back to the Island, he found that the houses were gone, but a high fence, called a palisade, had been built around the town area, and it was still there. Strong Theory or Weak Theory? Explain why. Theory 4: The colonists were taken hostage by the Spanish.The English settlers' boats were missing when John White returned to Roanoke in 1590. Saint Augustine was a colony of Spain in the New World. This colony is located on the eastern coast of what is now known as the state of Florida. Spanish soldiers who were living there in 1588 heard reports that England had established a new colony in the New World. This new colony was Roanoke. The Spanish may have sent their ships up the coast to take the colonists hostage. Or, the Spanish may have caught the Roanoke colonists as they were on their boats, going to live somewhere else. Strong Theory or Weak Theory? Explain why. Theory 5: The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live with the Native AmericansThe word 'Croatoan' carved on a fence post has interested historians for a long time. We know that Croatoan meant two things: the name of a group of friendly Indians, and the name of the island where they lived. When John White returned to find his colonists gone from Roanoke, he thought they might have gone to Croatoan because the word was carved on the fence post. John White was never able to travel to Croatoan to find out, and modern searchers have not yet discovered any evidence on Hatteras Island that suggests the colonists were there. Strong Theory or Weak Theory? Explain why. Theory 6: The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live in some other place.John White's group was supposed to build their town near the Chesapeake Bay, not on Roanoke Island. It is possible that they left Roanoke and went to the Chesapeake Bay, using the wood from their houses to build a boat. That might explain why the people, their homes, and their equipment were all gone when White got back. Almost twenty years later, a different group of English colonists sailed to the Chesapeake and started a settlement called Jamestown. One of its leaders was Captain John Smith. The Native king of the area was Powhatan (ever hear of Pocahontas? Powhatan was her father). Powhatan told Captain Smith that English colonists had been in his land! He claimed that he had killed them all to discourage other English from coming to the New World and taking the Natives' land. Strong Theory or Weak Theory? Explain why. What do you believe happened to the colonist of Roanoke Island? After watching the video, reading the background, and analyzing six theories with evidence to back the theories, what do you think happened. Choose the theory you feel had the strongest evidence and liklihood. Vocabulary Practice Drag a line to connect each term with its definition. wattle and daub Native American home made of walls built of sticks and covered in mud diaspora a disperation of people leaving their homeland and moving to another land indigenous People native to or original to an area palisades Large pointed stakes set in the ground to form a fence around a village for protection Three Sisters Staple crops (corn beans, and squash) for Native Americans peoples Sort the description into the correct table. You are matching the Native tribes with their descriptions. Yamassee A Native American tribe that lived in the Coastal Zone of South Carolina. Cherokee A Native American tribe that lived in the Blue Ridge region of South Carolina. Catawba A Native American tribe that lived in the Piedmont region of South Carolina. They were known as the River People (Ye Iswa) Done early? Complete the word search and then either work on late work OR start creating a Unit 2 study guide using the highlighted portion of your notes. To mark a word click its first letter then click its last. VIRGINIADARE SETTLEMENT JOHNWHITE PALISADES CROATOAN DISEASES SPANISH ROANOKE ENGLISH MYSTERY COLONY VOYAGE