Question

Why did the English establish a colony on Roanoke island?

Answer 1

they had encountered few obstacles and their positive report prompted Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony in the New World. In 1585, Sir Richard Grenville, Raleigh's cousin, sent seven ships loaded with colonists and provisions to establish a colony on Roanoke Island.
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Answer 2

English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in August 1585 has instituted the first English establishment in the New World known as The Roanoke Island colony. The purpose of building a colony was that he wanted to establish a perpetual North American town to attack Spanish transportation, drilling for gold and silver, identifying a passage to the Pacific Ocean, and conversions of Indians into Christian.