| In the early
1580s, Queen Elizabeth I of England granted Sir Walter
Raleigh permission to establish colonies in North
America. The land was named Virginia, after Queen
Elizabeth who was called the Virgin Queen since she never
married. The first two attempts failed. The third
attempt, in 1587, succeeded with Virginia Dare being the
first British colonist born in American. Governor John
White returned to England for supplies. When he returned,
in 1591, the colony was gone. All that was left was a
post with the name "Croatan." Croatan Indian
legend says the settlers became part of the tribe. The
British refer to the settlers and "The Lost
Colony."
In 1606, King James I set up the Virginia
Company of London. They were to find gold in Virginia,
then return to England. They never found gold.
England continued to send settlers to America. The
colony grew. In 1619, the Virginia colonist were given
the right to self government. In 1620, a group called the
Pilgrims left Plymouth, England on the Mayflower. They
were headed for Virginia. They were blown off course and
landed in Massachusetts, at a site they called Plymouth. |
