Essay: The Lost Colony of Roanoke

The Lost Colony of Roanoke was a failure by all matters as a colonial establishment which had little effect on following colonies like Jamestown; however, Roanoke did establish a cantankerous relationship with American natives through massacre and betrayal. The colonists of Roanoke were not in fact lost; many of them were murdered and some were enslaved by Native Americans after moving to the Chowan river in coastal North Carolina.
SOURCE 1
Pearce, Haywood J. “New Light on the Roanoke Colony: A Preliminary Examination of a Stone Found in Chowan County, North Carolina.” The Journal of Southern History 4, no. 2 (1938): 148-63. doi:10.2307/2192000.
This journal article from Historical Archaeology compares primary sources from the colony of Jamestown with an inscription on a recently discovered large piece of rose quartz, supposedly left by Eleanor White Dare, John White’s daughter. All of these documents are consistent that the colonists moved shortly after White’s departure to the East Chowan river due to incessant misery and disease on Roanoke. The river is southern and adjacent to roanoke island on the American mainland. Chief Powhatan then waged a priestly massacre; only seven colonists survived, including Eleanor. They buried the dead with stone grave markers near a small hill by the river. The colonists were then taken as slaves for copper working, and forbidden to have any contact with other European settlers, like those of Jamestown.
Dr. Haywood J. Pearce is a professor of American history at Emory University. He has made numerous entries for the Dictionary of American History, and he is the professor who first examined the Dare stones for authenticity; this included deciphering the words inscribed. The Journal of Southern History is a quarterly journal published by The Southern Historical Association. The Southern Historical Association is an 80-year-old organization dedicated to the historical study of the southern United States. It is currently overseen and managed by Dr. Stephen Berry, a history professor at the University of Georgia, and Dr. Randall L. Hall of Rice University. These qualifications validate Pearce and The Journal of Southern History as reputable sources for archaeological and historic information on the Lost Colony of Roanoke especially pertaining to the Dare Stones.
I plan to use this journal as an example of how Roanoke did not affect following colonies, like Jamestown. I also plan to analyze the extent of initial Native American influence over vulnerable European settlers. In this case, the Native Americans completely dominated the fate of Roanoke colonists. After one group massacred the majority of colonists, another enslaved the rest and prohibited contact between them and other settlers. However, Jamestown colonists did hear about Roanoke colonists’ journeys via Natives. While suppressing contact, the Indians were the only source of information for the settlers about the Roanoke survivors.
SOURCE 2
Miller, Lee. Roanoke: The Mystery of the Lost Colony. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction, 2007.
In this scholastic nonfiction book, Lee Miller outlines and discusses the importance of European elites’ agendas and how they pertain to the fate of the lost colony of Roanoke. Miller especially focuses on the relationships in English Privy Court between Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Sir Francis Walsingham; Walsingham sabotaged Roanoke to gain a foothold into English politics, to gain favor with the Queen, and to gain monetary assets all at the expense of the colonists. Walsingham also enlisted Simon Fernandez to convince the colonists to do many self-detrimental things (eat poisonous fruit, drink sickening water, etc.), essentially dooming them from the start. With this look into the lives and hidden plots of European nobility, we can better understand the motives that led Roanoke to its mysterious failure.
Lee Miller is a historian who lived on Roanoke for a long time. She also traveled to England and Whales for research for Roanoke: The Mystery of the Lost Colony. She has written many history books about Native American Indians as well as screenplays for actors like Kevin Costner. Her genuine interest and curiosity about Roanoke compelled her to research and travel. She compiled evidence, sources, and an intriguing story, thus making her a reputable source for information on the lost colony of Roanoke.
This book brings to light the idea that the mystery of Roanoke may have started before the colonists ever reached the island. English elitism and the struggle for money and power actually drove the expedition to its plight. My paper will discuss and analyze the different causes that led to Roanoke’s demise, so I will use the information from this book to better understand the people and politics behind the supposed sabotage. I will also analyze the differences between Roanoke’s fate and that of the Newfoundland colony mentioned in the book, as they seem to have both been caused by biased interference from England.