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Essay On Roanoke Colony

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The Lost Colony of Roanoke

Everyone loves a good mystery, especially one that no one can solve. It gives one satisfaction to imagine that they can decipher it and become a hero, and it’s even more intriguing when it has lasted a few years. Some missing cases have even lasted several decades, but none have persisted as long as a case of a certain lost colony. Originating on an island off the coast of North Carolina in 1585, the mystery of The Lost Colonists of Roanoke Island has remained for over 400 years (History), and it continues to baffle historians, investigators, and archeologists alike.

Preceding Events Besides the doomed colony, England had previous failures on Roanoke. For the English, making permanent settlements in the New World wasn’t a walk in the park. Queen Elizabeth’s ultimate goal was to conquer the New World and have a base to attack incoming Spanish. Sir Walter Raleigh volunteered for the job, bravely risking himself for the nation’s benefit. However, the Queen and Sir Walter Raleigh were having an affair, and Elizabeth begged him to stay and send soldiers instead, which he agreed to reluctantly. 1,500 soldiers, artists, and cartographers made the voyage and were …show more content…

When they were released 3 years later, they snatched the first ship they could find and voyaged back to Roanoke Colony. It was August 18, 1590, the day of Virginia Dare’s third birthday, when John White disembarked to find the colony completely and entirely bare. There were no colonists anywhere to be found as well as no signs of struggle or battling. The only clue as to their whereabouts was a crudely scraped word, “CROATOAN” and on a nearby tree, “CRO”. Thinking perhaps the colonists were living with the Croatoan tribe, John White directed the ship there, but a mighty storm caused them to retreat to England without any knowledge of their lost

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