Chapter 2, The American Pageant

Spain in Pain and Roanoke Chokes

Rivalry with Spain

• Political: Spain had control of the New World with the Treaty of Tordesillas; England sent Sir Francis Drake to attack Spanish ships

• Religious: England became a Protestant nation after Henry VIII declared his own church to get a divorce

• Family: Henry’s ex was Spain’s King Charles V’s aunt

England’s First Colony, Roanoke

•*Sir Walter Raleigh finally got permission from Queen Elizabeth to start a colony.

•*Colonists arrived at Roanoke, Virginia in 1585.

•*Several problems ensued including conflicts with Indians and lack of food.

•*But, a child was born named Virginia Dare. The first child born in an English colony.

Roanoke’s Epic Fail•*When Governor John White returned to get supplies in 1586, he was delayed by war with Spain.

•*In 1590, White made it back to the colony, but found no survivors.

•*He only found the word “Croatoan” carved into a tree which supposedly told where the survivors had gone, to a near island.

What REALLY Happened?

• Europeans were so poorly prepared for life in the wilderness that they had no chance to survive without relying on the Native Americans for help.

• Case in point, the lost colony of Roanoke, where the people mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind only one cryptic clue: the word "Croatan" carved into the town post.

• This is only a mystery if you are the worst detective ever. Croatan was the name of a nearby island populated by friendly Native Americans.

What REALLY Happened?

• When the supply ship did not show up for FOUR years, the colonists obviously decided to shack up with someone who knew how to survive in the wilderness.

• Later, Native Americans in that area showed up with gray eyes and an "astounding" familiarity with distinctly European customs. Hmmm. Wonder how that happened?

Lessons Learned

•Plan, Plan, and re-plan.

•Spain lost to England due to poor planning, at least in part.

•The Roanoke Colony also failed partly due to poor planning and poor leadership.

•Remember, sadly, if your leadership is poor, everyone suffers. So, get involved with the planning and think everything through...TWICE...to avoid the stupid mistakes that these people made.