Virginia Dare was the first American citizen born on North American soil (the future United States of America). She was born in Roanoke, Virginia. An initial expedition to establish a permanent colony, which failed, was led by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1583. It is noteworthy that Raleigh was heavily influenced by a book by Montaigne that stated, “Barbarians appear no stranger to us than we appear to them.” Then, in 1587, John White’s mission followed, also to Roanoke. When, the following year, 1588, the English were supposed to send ships to John White’s aid at Roanoke, they were actually engaged in a far more serious threat posed by the Invincible Armada. England won the battle, but this cost the dream of Roanoke shattered and the true beginning of the American adventure postponed by over thirty years, until the Pilgrim Fathers of 1620. The colony founded by John White was called the Lost Colony, due to the unexplained disappearance of the settlement and its population (about 120 people).
