Why did the settlement fail?

Montage of images showing a map of Virginia, an Amerindian woman and Sir Walter Raleigh.

The early attempts at settlement in Virginia were disastrous. The first colony was abandoned only nine months after the settlers arrived and nobody knows what happened to the men and women who tried to establish a settlement in 1587. These early settlers did face many problems: they didn’t know how to farm the land; they had to share the land and resources with the native Americans; and they had to rely on Amerindian help and supplies from England. But the failure was not just down to bad luck. Other reasons have to be considered.

You can investigate some of these reasons by studying the sources below. Don’t forget that you can record your answers and thoughts on the worksheet.

Let’s investigate!

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