European Colonization Thesis

2107 Words5 Pages

European Colonization Do you ever wonder how the world came about because of its past? Or how it is that you are able to live where you are? Think about where your childhood home was, how long did you live there? Most would say, 5-10 years. How would you like it if a plethora of ungrateful foreigners came in and told you that you have to leave? The average person would say no and fight back. This is exactly what happened to the indigenous people of North America felt when the Europeans came over to settle. But there are also two ways to look at this issue. You have the thoughts of the Native Americans who are ticked off, and then you have the Europeans who are also trying to make a living for their family. Who do you think is right in this …show more content…

Even though the Vikings never returned to America, their findings spread throughout Europe enticing the Europeans to see what the “new world” had to offer. Many of the different countries that helped with the findings of North America include: Portugal, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and England. Exploration of the new world began in the late 16th century when England, Spain and France joined an alliance for a new world empire. Sir Humphrey Gilbert was granted land from Elizabeth I to discover and search out the isolated lands. The land she had granted him excluded the ones already controlled by Spain, Portugal and the Dutch. After Gilbert had gotten lost at sea, the grant was passed down to his half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh. He voyaged to Roanoke Island in 1584 where some settlers established a colony, but others left due to a war with Spain in 1588 (Spanish Armada). They did not return until 1590 and the colony was gone by reason of drought that started in 1584. This drought caused a lot of harm to the settlers who later on ran off and became natives. This became known as The Lost Colony. After Elizabeth …show more content…

Each branch had a different part of America for them to concentrate on. In 1607 colonists settled on land giving it the name, Virginia, after the Virgin Queen Elizabeth I and formed a colony known as Jamestown that was named after James I. The lands they settled on were of an Indian tribe under the reign of Wahunsonacock, or Powhatan, the largest Indian confederation in North American history. The colonists built a massive fortress for any other attacks from Indians to begin building a bigger colony. Soon after, Captain Newport went back to London to spread news of the newly established colony, but while he was gone, tragedy had struck. Jamestown was built in a marsh along the James River, which mixed with the Chesapeake Bay water that was not suitable for drinking. This type of mixture resulted in an infestation of mosquitoes. Many of the settlers got ill due to malaria and the food had spoiled from the heat. The final blow, were the local Indians who took as many down as they could while they were weak. Over half of the Jamestown settlers died in 1609. One of the main colonists to help out with the restoration of Jamestown was

Open Document