Roanoke Colony Research Paper

Words: 2055
Pages: 9

In the summer of 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh funded the first expedition to Roanoke Island, which is today referred to as the Outer Banks. This first expedition had failed due to not being prepared. Raleigh had made several attempts to colonize the area on expeditions led by Governor Lane and Sir Richard Grenville, but none of them were successful in doing so. One year later, British explorer John White had made the same journey, sent by Raleigh. This time, their goal was aimed further north in the Chesapeake bay area. However, in the the summer of 1585, John White was not prepared and had went back to England to get more supplies. When he arrived back the following year, his entire colony was missing. There are countless theories and conspiracies surrounding this peculiar event and what caused an entire settlement to be gone. …show more content…
To begin, the first contributing factor to the disappearance of the colonists was the immense lack of supplies and lack of food. Although this …show more content…
These theories range from reverting from cannibalism to the interbreeding with the natives. One historian even believes the colonists were scalped and eaten. However, there were actually several different varying aspects that contributed to the disappearance of the mysterious Roanoke Colony. These factors included the conflicts they had faced with the natives, the weather conditions that prevented them to get the proper supplies, the lack of supplies they had to begin with, and the disease they had unknowingly spread. All of these factors ultimately drove the people to be driven out of the area in search for better living conditions, therefore causing the mysterious disappearance of Roanoke