The Lost Colony Of Roanoke Analysis

The Mystery of Roanoke Neil Armstrong once said, “Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” (Brainyquote). Armstrong says this when is discussing the topic about the final frontier, but what about the new frontier that sixteenth-century Europeans uncovered? Neil Armstrong’s bravery and willingness to sacrifice his life for a mission can be compared to the Roanoke Colonists. Sadly, there are not any colonists that could have told their tale. Their life story would have appeared as a plot line in a horror movie. The mystery behind the Lost Colony of Roanoke can be summed up into two theories: The colonists migrated and Revenge-seeking Indians cut their thread of life merciless. Since John White’s
To start off, when the first attempt to colonize was failing, the colonist demanded more food from the local Indians, making the natives angry (Benson). Adding to this, Tom Schouweiler says that the first group of colonists brought diseases and due to this, tensions grew between them and the natives (28). Horrifically, when the second group of colonists arrived at Roanoke, they found the bones of a previous settler who were ordered to stay and guard the fort, meanwhile, the rest of the few settlers were never found along with who destroyed the fort (Vanishings 98). Interestingly, Shelly Barclay claims that the local tribes were angry at the colonist. She explains,”Tribes were openly hostile” and that “George Howe was murdered by natives while hunting crabs on the beach” (Barclay). This evidence is significant because it proves that the local Indians killed one of the first colonists, so if they murdered a colonist before, chances are that they would have again. Suspensefully, John White did not tell the colonist to carve to word “CROATAN” if they moved. John White specifically told them to carve a cross if they moved, but they did not (Vanishings 99). Keeping this information fresh, the past history involving the revenge-seeking Indians and the colonists is the foundation of the
John White, a leader of the colony, describes the word “CROATOAN” carved in a tree, which is the name of a befriended tribe and could have been a refuge where the colonists ran too. In defense, though, past leader of the colony (Greenville) had problems with the local hostile Indians, which might have lead to the destruction of the colony. One way or another, the disappearance of this colony and the clues left behind still plays with researcher and historian’s minds. There is a saying that concludes this mystery: Right knows no boundaries, and justice no frontiers; the brotherhood of man is not a domestic