English Settlers 8 Articles
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ARTICLE-A-DAY™ English Settlers 8 Articles Check articles you have read: Story of the Lost Colony 203 words Sir Walter Raleigh 151 words Virginia Dare 172 words Jamestown 236 words Captain John Smith 306 words Pocahontas and the English Settlers 298 words Journey of the Pilgrims 213 words Plymouth Colony and the Local Wampanoag People 245 words Page 1 of 11 ReadWorks.org · © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Story of the Lost Colony Story of the Lost Colony By ReadWorks Before settling at Jamestown and Plymouth, the English attempted to settle on Roanoke Island off of the present-day state of North Carolina. In the summer of 1587, about 115 settlers arrived on Roanoke Island. Later that summer, their governor, John White, sailed back to England for new supplies. However, a naval war between England and Spain had just began when he arrived. He was called to participate. He was finally able to return to Roanoke Island in August 1590. When he arrived, he found no trace of the people he left behind. One of the only hints to the mystery of the lost colony was the word “Croatoan,” which was carved into a wooden post. Croatoan was the name of an island to the south of Roanoke where a tribe of Native Americans lived. Some people think the settlers were killed by the Native Americans. Other historians wonder if the settlers tried to sail back to England themselves. Seventeen years later, the next group of English settlers founded a colony to the north, known today as Jamestown. The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC- SA 4.0) This is a map drawn by John White. The arrow points to Roanoke Island. Page 2 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh By ReadWorks portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh was born in the early 1550s in England, and he grew up on a farm. When he was seventeen, Raleigh left England to fight in the Wars of Religion in France. Later, he returned to England to study law. This was the time that Raleigh developed his love for writing poetry. In 1578, Raleigh sailed to North America with his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Raleigh’s trip to North America might have made him more interested in starting a colony there. In 1585, he sponsored the first English settlement in North America, a colony on Roanoke Island. The colony failed with the colonists returning to England. In 1587, Raleigh sponsored another settlement effort to Roanoke Island. This colony is known today as the lost colony because its members disappeared. Alexisrael (CC BY-SA 3.0) statue of Sir Walter Raleigh in Raleigh, North Carolina Page 3 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Virginia Dare Virginia Dare By ReadWorks “Baptism of Virginia Dare” by Henry Howe On August 18, 1857, Virginia Dare was born on Roanoke Island in North America. She was the first child born in the Americas to English parents. Her parents were Ananias and Eleanor Dare. Eleanor was the daughter of John White, the governor of the Roanoke colony. Virginia’s grandfather, Governor White, had to leave for England nine days after she was born. Governor White went to England in search of further aid and assistance for the colony. Unfortunately, Governor White couldn’t return to Roanoke until three years later. When he returned, everyone in Roanoke colony was gone. To this day, no one knows for sure what happened to Virginia Dare and the Roanoke colony. One clue that Governor White did find upon his return was the word CROATOAN carved into a wooden post. Virginia Dare on an old U.S. stamp Croatoan was the name of a Native American tribe that inhabited a neighboring island. Many historians believe that Virginia Dare became a part of this tribe. Page 4 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Jamestown Jamestown By ReadWorks This is the seal of the Virginia Company, 1606-1624. In 1606, King James I approved a plan for a new settlement in North America. The Virginia Company was in charge of the formation of this settlement. In December 1606, the Virginia Company sent a group of about 100 colonists to North America. They believed they would find gold and silver there. They were also looking for a river route through North America to the Pacific Ocean. They believed if they found a river route, trade between England and eastern Asia would be easier because boats could then travel more directly between the two regions. The colonists were on three ships named the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. They traveled for about six months. They decided to start their settlement on a narrow peninsula, and they named their settlement Jamestown, after King James I. The settlers struggled living in Jamestown, especially during the first few years. They did not find any gold or silver. They were also not used to living in an environment like where they settled. Many people died from hunger and illness. They were often in need of food, so they made an This is a modern replica of the Godspeed. agreement with the leader of a group of nearby Algonquin tribes. The name of this leader was Chief Powhatan. Powhatan agreed to trade food for metal tools, beads, and weapons. Page 5 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Captain John Smith Captain John Smith By ReadWorks portrait of John Smith John Smith was an English solder who fought in Hungary and the Netherlands. He was recognized for his bravery, and he was promoted to captain. John Smith was one of the around 100 original settlers of Jamestown colony. They were sent by the Virginia Company. Led by Christopher Newport, they traveled to North America on ships named the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. In 1607, the settlers arrived in North America and chose a spot on a peninsula to make their settlement. Then they were governed by a group of seven men. One of the men was John Smith. In September 1608, John Smith was chosen to be the president of the colony. He was very firm and ensured that every colonist contributed to the colony. While many of the colonists wanted to spend their time looking for gold, John Smith helped them focus on their survival needs. He is famous for the rule, “. he that will not work shall not eat . .” He made sure that the colonists performed more productive tasks, like planting crops, digging a well, and repairing the fort. Under John Smith, Jamestown even began to produce pitch, tar, and soap ash to send back to England. About one year after he was elected president of Jamestown colony, John Smith had to return to England because of an injury. Page 6 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Captain John Smith John Smith had some great accomplishments during his time at Jamestown. One of his accomplishments was making a detailed map of the area. He went on a couple of voyages with a few other colonists to explore the surrounding Chesapeake Bay region. They traveled in a large open boat called a barge. He used these voyages to create the map, which included a lot of very important information. This is John Smith’s map of the Chesapeake Bay region. Page 7 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Pocahontas and the English Settlers Pocahontas and the English Settlers By ReadWorks portrait of Pocahontas in 1616 Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan. Chief Powhatan was the leader of a group of Algonquin tribes. The people of this group is also known as Powhatan Indians. Chief Powhatan agreed to trade with the Jamestown settlers. As the Jamestown colonists formed a relationship with Powhatan, Pocahontas visited Jamestown often. She helped supply food and information to the colony. She was even seen once doing cartwheels with some English boys in Jamestown. Pocahontas didn’t just help the Jamestown colonists. She also helped her people. She once peacefully helped to work out the freedom of Powhatan Indian prisoners. Eventually, the relationship between the colonists and the tribes became very difficult. The English settlers were struggling with hunger, and the Powhatan Indians did not have enough extra food to give them. The settlers threatened Chief Powhatan to give them food. Chief Powhatan and Jamestown’s president, John Smith, agreed to do a trade. However, each leader had created a plan to kill the other leader. Pocahontas let John Smith know of her father’s plan and saved him. After this, she was not allowed to visit Jamestown anymore, and John Smith soon returned to England. During the next several years, the Powhatan Indians caught and held some English settlers as prisoners. Then, Page 8 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Pocahontas and the English Settlers an English captain captured Pocahontas. The captain said he would release Pocahontas if Chief Powhatan released the prisoners and returned stolen weapons. Chief Powhatan agreed. Not long after, Pocahontas married English settler John Rolfe, and they had a son together. In 1616, the Rolfe family traveled to England. Unfortunately, Pocahontas would never return to North America. Months later, the family prepared to return to North America, but Pocahontas became very ill and died soon after. painting showing the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe Page 9 of 11 © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Journey of the Pilgrims Journey of the Pilgrims By ReadWorks "Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor" by William Halsall, painted in 1882 Today, the Pilgrims are known as a group of about 100 colonists who settled in North America in 1620.