What if Roanoake colony survives & grows?

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
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What if "Virginia" got a continuous start from a Roanoke colony that is never "lost"?

What are the likely knock-on effects for the growth trajectory of Anglo-American population?

What about "Virginian" political institutions?

Is a consumer-friendly, profitable blend of tobacco likely to be discovered and cultivated by the early 1600s?

What's the likelihood of various English sectarian refuge colonies (Plymouth, Massachussetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania) either being established earlier than OTL or being butterflied away entirely?
 
North Carolina as Virginia? I guess the name would be butterflied to Virginia, unless they go for an indigenous name like Massachusetts.

Second, growth trajectory for Anglo-Americans will probably be comparable to the OTL American colonies, since I don't see Roanoke doing any better than Jamestown. But it might speed up the colonisation by a decade or so based on the results of the next group that tries to settle the East Coast.

Since I'd assume the Indians around Roanoke used tobacco as much as the Powhatan, I couldn't see tobacco not being planted at some point and becoming a source of income.
 
One interesting thought:

In OTL, the Pilgrims were initially attempting to steer for Virginia since it was an already settled English colony.

Now, there are theories that, despite this being the public story, the Pilgrims had always intended to steer north. Virginia was firmly in the hands of the Anglican Church. In order for their experiment to work, they needed to be isolated and free of church influence.

If the Carolinas are settled first, is it possibly that the Pilgrims would aim for OTL Virginia instead? This would have an impact on the society and economy they set up once they arrive.

Furthermore, it opens up the question of who settles in the region we know as New England. Would the English even be interested in it? Would the French claim it?
Finally, does this minimize tensions and put less pressure on New Amsterdam?
 
One interesting thought:

In OTL, the Pilgrims were initially attempting to steer for Virginia since it was an already settled English colony.

Now, there are theories that, despite this being the public story, the Pilgrims had always intended to steer north. Virginia was firmly in the hands of the Anglican Church. In order for their experiment to work, they needed to be isolated and free of church influence.

If the Carolinas are settled first, is it possibly that the Pilgrims would aim for OTL Virginia instead? This would have an impact on the society and economy they set up once they arrive.

Furthermore, it opens up the question of who settles in the region we know as New England. Would the English even be interested in it? Would the French claim it?
Finally, does this minimize tensions and put less pressure on New Amsterdam?

Another English group might be interested. There were so many dissident religious groups, after all. The French could try for it too, I guess. And there were Englishmen in modern New Hampshire in the 1620s, not long after Plymouth. The region is too attractive to fishermen, plus Boston Harbour not far south is always a solid point to put a city.
 
Another English group might be interested. There were so many dissident religious groups, after all. The French could try for it too, I guess. And there were Englishmen in modern New Hampshire in the 1620s, not long after Plymouth. The region is too attractive to fishermen, plus Boston Harbour not far south is always a solid point to put a city.

Just our of curiosity, perhaps the Swedes are more successful in their colonization efforts and the New Sweden colony spreads into *New England. I could still see the region being sold or conquered by England at some point, but having a Swedish-Finnish presence in the region (the Finns made up a sizable chunk of the colony's population in OTL) could be very interesting.
 
Just our of curiosity, perhaps the Swedes are more successful in their colonization efforts and the New Sweden colony spreads into *New England. I could still see the region being sold or conquered by England at some point, but having a Swedish-Finnish presence in the region (the Finns made up a sizable chunk of the colony's population in OTL) could be very interesting.

Too few of people in Sweden-Finland to make a real, successful colony. But more Finns in, say, New Hampshire, would be cool. Making the Finns like the Dutch in New York, as improbable as that would be, would be very interesting, as biased as I might be since my ancestors are Finnish Americans from New Hampshire. But again, English fishermen and such were already in the New Hampshire/Maine/Massachusetts area in the 1620s, with little to really stop them from being there (besides natives, obviously, who didn't seem to mind their presence in such small numbers).

But really, New Sweden's doomed no matter where they put it, they should just sell it to the Dutch and pursue better goals in Europe.
 
Just our of curiosity, perhaps the Swedes are more successful in their colonization efforts and the New Sweden colony spreads into *New England. I could still see the region being sold or conquered by England at some point, but having a Swedish-Finnish presence in the region (the Finns made up a sizable chunk of the colony's population in OTL) could be very interesting.
While an increased Swedish presence in North America would be interesting, there are some factors to consider. In OTL, the Swedish were quite invested in the Thirty Years War and had a lot of resources put into the conflict. Also, it seems that the plans for colonization did not interest Queen Christina very much and, if I am not mistaken, was of more interest to Chancellor Oxenstierna. Now if, by chance, the financial fortunes of the Swedes were better off, the monarchy were more interested, and conflict with the Dutch can be avoided, then a Swedish colony may have better chances ITTL.
 
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