Introduction to the Mystery of History
How can we define history? Is it a series of facts and events
that have happened in the past? I guess it all depends on who you ask. History can only be defined as multiple perspectives of events. We must look at multiple accounts of how something happened and why it happened, each account being studied and played against one another. History is not something we can look at as facts in a linear fashion. History is an investigation. It can be thought of as solving a mystery.
There are many things that have happened over time where there is no definite conclusion to what happened and why. One mystery that plagues historians to this day is The Lost Colony of Roanoke. This is one of the very first mysteries in American History. The Lost Colony is a story of one of England’s first attempts at colonization in North America. In 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh sent John White as governor along with 116 men, women and children to a previous known location in Roanoke, Virginia, known today as The Outer Banks of North Carolina. John White leaves the families behind on the island in August, 1587 and when he returns in 1590 the colonists were gone (Quinn, 1984). There was no trace of them. From this point on, there is no clear cut picture of what happened to the colonists of Roanoke. Not one of the colonists was ever seen again. There is a lot of evidence surrounding this voyage thanks to the writings and drawings of John White, governor of the colony, and many others, still intact today (Quinn, 1984). However, there is a lot to be left to historical investigation leaving only theory and conjecture to identify what actually happened to these colonists. Read on and you will find some different perspectives on what may
have happened to those "lost" colonists. Who knows, maybe you can come up with your own theory.
that have happened in the past? I guess it all depends on who you ask. History can only be defined as multiple perspectives of events. We must look at multiple accounts of how something happened and why it happened, each account being studied and played against one another. History is not something we can look at as facts in a linear fashion. History is an investigation. It can be thought of as solving a mystery.
There are many things that have happened over time where there is no definite conclusion to what happened and why. One mystery that plagues historians to this day is The Lost Colony of Roanoke. This is one of the very first mysteries in American History. The Lost Colony is a story of one of England’s first attempts at colonization in North America. In 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh sent John White as governor along with 116 men, women and children to a previous known location in Roanoke, Virginia, known today as The Outer Banks of North Carolina. John White leaves the families behind on the island in August, 1587 and when he returns in 1590 the colonists were gone (Quinn, 1984). There was no trace of them. From this point on, there is no clear cut picture of what happened to the colonists of Roanoke. Not one of the colonists was ever seen again. There is a lot of evidence surrounding this voyage thanks to the writings and drawings of John White, governor of the colony, and many others, still intact today (Quinn, 1984). However, there is a lot to be left to historical investigation leaving only theory and conjecture to identify what actually happened to these colonists. Read on and you will find some different perspectives on what may
have happened to those "lost" colonists. Who knows, maybe you can come up with your own theory.