A Short History of the United States Part 2

23. Sir Walter Ralegh.--Still another famous Englishman of Elizabeth's time was Walter Ralegh. He never saw the coasts of the United States, but his name is rightly connected with our history, because he tried again and again to found colonies on our sh.o.r.es. In 1584 he sent Amadas and Barlowe to explore the Atlantic seash.o.r.e of North America. Their reports were so favorable that he sent a strong colony to settle on Roanoke Island in Virginia, as he named that region.

But the settlers soon became unhappy because they found no gold. Then, too, their food began to fail, and Drake, happening along, took them back to England.

[Sidenote: Ralegh's last attempt, 1587. _Explorers_, 189-200.]

24. The "Lost Colony," 1587.--Ralegh made still one more attempt to found a colony in Virginia. But the fate of this colony was most dreadful. For the settlers entirely disappeared,--men, women, and children. Among the lost was little Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America. No one really knows what became of these people.

But the Indians told the later settlers of Jamestown that they had been killed by the savages.

[Sidenote: Ruin of Spain's sea-power. _English History for Americans_, 131-135.]

25. Destruction of the Spanish Armada, 1588.--This activity of the English in America was very distressing to the King of Spain. For he claimed all America for himself and did not wish Englishmen to go thither. He determined to conquer England and thus put an end to these English voyages. But Hawkins, Drake, Ralegh, and the men behind the English guns were too strong even for the Invincible Armada. Spain's sea-power never recovered from this terrible blow. Englishmen could now found colonies with slight fear of the Spaniards. When the Spanish king learned of the settlement of Jamestown, he ordered an expedition to go from St. Augustine to destroy the English colony. But the Spaniards never got farther than the mouth of the James River. For when they reached that point, they thought they saw the masts and spars of an English s.h.i.+p. They at once turned about and sailed back to Florida as fast as they could go.

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

CHAPTER 1

---- 1-3.--a. To how much honor are the Northmen ent.i.tled as the discoverers of America?

b. Draw from memory a map showing the relative positions of Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and North America.

c. What portions of the world were known to Europeans in 1490? Explain by drawing a map.

---- 4-6.--a. State Columbus's beliefs about the shape and size of the earth.

b. What land did Columbus think that he had reached?

c. What is meant by the statement that "he took possession" of the new land?

d. Describe the appearance of the Indians, their food, and their weapons.

---- 7-9.--a. What other Italians sailed across the Atlantic before 1500?

Why was Cabot's voyage important?

b. Why was the New World called America and not Columbia?

c. Describe the discovery of the Pacific Ocean. Why was this discovery of importance?

CHAPTER 2

---- 10-12.--a. What was the chief wish of the Spanish explorers?

b. How did they treat the Indians?

---- 13-16.--a. Describe a pueblo. What do the existing pueblos teach us about the Indians of Coronado's time?

b. Describe Coronado's march.

c. What other band of Spaniards nearly approached Coronado's men?

Describe their march.

d. What other places were explored by the Spaniards?

---- 17-20.--a. Why did Verrazano explore the northeastern coasts?

b. Describe Cartier's experiences in the St. Lawrence.

c. Describe the French expeditions to Carolina and Florida.

d. What reason had the Spaniards for attacking the French?

CHAPTER 3

---- 21, 22.--a. Look up something about the early voyages of Francis Drake.

b. Compare Drake's route around the world with that of Magellan.

---- 23-25.--a. Explain carefully Ralegh's connection with our history.

b. Was the territory Ralegh named Virginia just what is now the state of Virginia?

c. What is sea-power?

d. What effect did the defeat of Spain have upon _our_ history?

GENERAL QUESTIONS

a. Draw upon an Outline Map the routes of all the explorers mentioned.

Place names and dates in their proper places.

b. Arrange a table of the various explorers as follows, stating in two or three words what each accomplished:--

================================================ DATE. | SPANISH. | FRENCH. | ENGLISH.

-------+-----------+----------+----------------- 1492 | Columbus | | 1497 | | | Cabot.

TOPICS FOR SPECIAL WORK

a. Columbus's first voyage, Irving (abridged edition).

b. Coronado's expedition, Lummis's _Spanish Pioneers_.

c. Verrazano and Cartier, Higginson's _Explorers_.