The Roanoke Colony and Its Historical Context

Between 1585 and 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh and John White founded the first British settlement in the New World, the Roanoke Island Colony. Despite Raleigh's organization and White's leadership, the colony mysteriously disappeared by 1590. Raleigh, born in Devon, England, was a Protestant who suppressed Irish Catholic rebellions and was rewarded by Queen Elizabeth I. John White, an artist and mapmaker, documented the New World. Raleigh's expeditions expanded European knowledge of North America, but his efforts to establish a colony failed. The mystery of Roanoke remains unsolved, but it paved the way for future settlements like Jamestown.

Who were the key figures in founding the first British settlement in the New World?

• Sir Walter Raleigh and John White

• Christopher Columbus and John Smith

• Francis Drake and John Cabot

• Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain

What reward did Queen Elizabeth I give to Sir Walter Raleigh for his services?

• A knighthood and the right to colonize America

• A title of Duke

• A fleet of ships

• A castle in Scotland

What was John White's profession before leading expeditions?

• A merchant

• A cartographer and illustrator

• A sailor

• A soldier

What significant event took place on Roanoke Island in 1584?

• A treaty was signed with local tribes

• A fort was constructed

• The first English flag was planted in the New World

• The first English child was born

What was the main reason for the failure of the second expedition to Roanoke Island?

• Hostile weather conditions

• Lack of supplies

• Attacks by Spanish forces

• Disease outbreak

Who was Virginia Dare?

• A member of Queen Elizabeth's court

• A Spanish explorer

• A Native American leader

• The first English child born in the New World

What prevented John White from returning to Roanoke with supplies in 1588?

• He fell ill

• He was captured by pirates

• Queen Elizabeth conscripted all ships for a naval battle

• A storm destroyed his ships

What is one theory about the fate of the Roanoke colonists?

• They were rescued by the Spanish

• They were killed by hostile tribes

• They returned to England

• They built a new settlement further inland

What was Sir Walter Raleigh's fate after Queen Elizabeth's death?

• He was knighted again by King James I

• He was convicted of treason and executed

• He became a governor in the New World

• He retired to his estate in Devon

Which colony was successfully established by the British in 1607?

• Roanoke

• Plymouth

• Jamestown

• New Amsterdam