When Christopher Columbus first landed on the island of Hispaniola, he had no concept of what his voyage had discovered. A New World; with boundless land and new frontiers for exploration. Political issues and mighty Spain prevented England from venturing into New World colonization. In 1584, Sir Walter Ralegh founded the first English settlement. Roanoke, Virginia, named for the country's queen, was a disaster from the start. Poor land choice and many difficulties with the Indians led to a failed community. By 1586, when Sir Francis Drake visited Roanoke, the town was dead. No one reason for the disappearance of Roanoke can be found; some believe that the colonists may have been attacked by Indians or suffered simply from the weather. Theorists believe that several of the occupants left to join native communities.
             The failure of Roanoke discouraged many Englishmen. No aristocrats were willing to subject themselves or their families to famine and disease. Horror stories flooded England, and people did not want to leave. Richard Hakluyt and several others saw the New World as a chance for English advancement. Hakluyt wrote on the many positives colonization could bring to England. Hakluyt cited God, Gold, and Glory to raise English nationalism and encourage New World colonization. The beginning of semi-successful English colonization did not occur until almost twenty years later with the settlement of Jamestown. Jamestown would be followed by distinctly different colonies founded by Englishmen as time moved on.
             Jamestown, Virginia, was named for King James, who gave the London Company a charter to settle there. In 1806, Sir Thomas Smith sailed for the New World. Only men came to Jamestown in 1806. The settlers picked a plot of land that they decided would be a perfect spot to protect against Spanish invasion. The men promptly built a fort to secure the colony. They didn't develop schoolhouses or churches. The lack of religion shou...