Classroomtools.com Lesson - The Roanoke Mystery Segments

Here is the story of the 2nd colony, divided into 35 segments. Use any word processing program to combine or divide them into the number necessary to create one for each student in your class.

The original expedition was formed in 1587 and financed by Sir Walter Raleigh.

The 1587 expedition was the second attempt by a group of Englishmen to begin a colony in the New World.

The expedition was made up of 120 people, including White's pregnant daughter.

The expedition included 17 women and 6 children.

The colonists landed on Roanoke Island in the summer of 1587 in order to look for the remains of an earlier expedition.

Roanoke was not White's destination; he had apparently hoped to land farther north, but the ship's captain would go no further - he had contracted with Raleigh to take the expedition across the ocean, and wanted to return to London for a more profitable cargo as quickly as possible.

As soon as the colonists landed on the island, the captain ordered his men back aboard ship, virtually stranding the expedition.

On August 18, 1587, Elanor Dare, White's daughter, gave birth to a baby, named Virginia, on the island. Virginia thus became the first English child known to be born in the New World.

White's colony was the first to have made clear cut arrangement for a colonial government.

Raleigh had appointed White as governor. He had also appointed 12 men to assist him as a sort of town council.

White stayed on the island only 36 days.

Soon after arriving, the colonists realized how ill prepared they were.

The land on the island was not as rich as they imagined, and they did not have enough supplies or food.

The colonists lived in constant fear of Indian attack.

The town council urged White to return to England for aid.

White at first refused to go, feeling that his place was on the island with his people.

In a town meeting, the colonists unanimously agreed that White could serve them best by returning to England for supplies.

As the ships that had brought them were still in the harbor waiting for favorable winds in order to return to England, White had a way to return.

White departed on August 27, planning to return by winter.

Back in England, White found that he was unable to find money to purchase the supplies he needed.

All available funds were being used to prepare for war with Spain.

Even Raleigh was deeply involved in the preparations for war, and had no time or money for Roanoke.

By April, White had been able to gather supplies and a fleet, but a state of emergency was declared and he could not sail - his ships had been pressed into naval service.

He found other vessels, and on April 22 set out for the Carolinas.

Unfortunately, his sailors were spoiling for a fight, and instead of sailing directly for America, they began searching for Spanish ships.

His ships finally contacted a Spanish fleet, but were so damaged in the ensuing battle that they had to return to England for repairs.

England finally defeated Spain, but Raleigh's fortune was so depleted that he was not able to fund another fleet for White until March 1590. Raleigh secured a 3 vessel fleet that was to carry White and his supplies, and a new group of colonists to enlarge the colony.

At the last minute, the fleet captain refused to carry anything but White and one chest of his personal belongings. He had decided that he needed all the room he could make in order to store the lucrative goods he planned to pick up in the West Indies.

White had no choice but to accept the terms, as the fleet had already been paid for, and would have sailed before he could return to London to talk with Raleigh.

Finally, returning to Roanoke, White went ashore with some of his ship's crew.

They found no sign of the colonists.

There were no bodies, no signs of battle.

The ground was covered with grass and weeds, and the houses had been taken down.

The closest they came to finding life was a set of fresh footprints - probably those of an Indian hunter.

Carved into one tree, which had been stripped of its bark, were the letters CRO; on another were the letters CROTOAN.