Reasons for English Colonization

Presentation on theme: "Reasons for English Colonization"— Presentation transcript:

1 Reasons for English Colonization
England hoped to find gold and silver in America (Mercantilism) England wanted to get raw materials from the New World (Triangle Trade) England wanted new markets to sell its manufactured goods (Triangle Trade & Mercantilism.

2 Roanoke Island (Lost Colony)
Sir Walter Raleigh asked Queen Elizabeth of England if he could lead a group of people to begin a colony in the USA. Queen Elizabeth gave Raleigh a charter (a document that allowed colonists to live on land owned by their country.) Picture Credit:

3 Roanoke Island (1st Time)
In 1585, the first English people tried to begin a colony. This became the 1st English colony in the USA. It failed due to hunger and bad relations with the Native Americans. All but 15 men went back to England on a ship.

4 Roanoke (2nd Time) England returned in August 1590 to find no colonists on Roanoke Island. On one of the trees was written CROATOAN. Croatoan was the name of an island nearby as well as the name of the Native Americans living in the area. Picture Credit:

5 Roanoke (2nd Time) The English attacked the Native Americans for revenge. They were defeated. They abandoned the colony and returned to England Picture Credit:

6 The Virginia Company In 1606, King James I gave permission to the Virginia Company of London to try a colony. The Virginia Company was a Joint-Stock Company where investors bought shares in the company and shared the profits. Susan Constant Discovery Godspeed Picture Credit:

7 Jamestown Colony On May 14, 1607, the settlers began building the first English permanent settlement on the James River in Virginia. Jamestown was named after the King James I and Virginia was named after the Virgin Queen of England. Picture Credit:

8 Jamestown Colony Jamestown was about business
The colonists of Jamestown were not seeking religious freedom. They were hoping to get rich quick! Most of the men who first settled there were soldiers and fighters. They did not expect to have to work the land.

9 Reasons for Jamestown Difficulties
Not educated in how to plant food in Virginia. Bad location for farming Not enough people in the Jamestown settlement especially hard working people. Native American Battles Many settlers starved

10 Starving Time Jamestown depended on ships from England to supply it with what it needed to survive. While they waited for the ships to return, many men starved. This was known as the “Starving Time”