Reasons Why The Americans Sought To Establish The Roanoke Colony

Sir Walter Raleigh’s proposal to start a colony in the New World was rooted in the selfish pursuit of attention for himself rather than the intention to establish a secure colony for the English. At this time, European countries had begun to see the economic benefits of starting colonies in the Americas. Sir Walter Raleigh established Roanoke “with the purpose of harassing Spanish shipping, mining for gold and silver, discovering a passage to the Pacific Ocean, and Christianizing the Indians.” Raleigh was active in Queen Elizabeth I’s court and his intellect charmed her into making him one of her closest and favorite subjects. Her favor was instrumental in Raleigh’s attempt to start a North American colony because without it, he would not have

Because no one had recorded topographical details about the area that is modern-day North Carolina, the Englishmen that arrived at the coast had no idea that the area was harsher than they originally thought. In the area that the settlers inhabited in the early days of the colony, there was and still is a “flat but treacherous coastline. Here the warm waters of the powerful Gulf Stream bring mild, and occasionally stormy, weather to the low-lying coast.” The coastline provided security from the plundering Spanish explorers, but the location did not have any other benefits. The colonists were unable to farm the flat land because of its sandy soil and dangerous tides and storms left the area drenched in salty seawater. Moreover, the structures built by the colonists were not able to last through the storms, exemplifying a primary reason why the colony failed. However the Croatan Native Americans, initially unaware of the English’s violent behavior, welcomed the English and taught them how to survive in treacherous North Carolina just as they did. While the English did welcome this help, they later turned on the Native Americans causing “the intensity of warfare [to increase]

Sir Walter Raleigh sent these two men to scout North Carolina and interact with the Native Americans in the area the colonists would be living in. The English were well aware that Native Americans considered other colonizers, particularly the Spanish, as “brutal” and the English in turn wanted to be liberators of the Native Americans. With this idea in mind, Barlowe and Amadas established good relations with the Native Americans, allowing them to scout further towards the coast and begin to trade with the Native Americans. This trade was instrumental in welcoming the English to America and allowed for a unique and positive relationship between the first English to set foot in the North Carolina area. In one of his final journal entries of the trip, Barlowe reflects on his encounters with the Native Americans writes, “We found the people most gentle, loving, and faithful.” According to this entry, there was a good relationship between the English and the Native Americans at the beginning of Roanoke’s establishment but something must have changed to turn it to