Raleigh Names Virginia

1584

A scouting expedition dispatched by Walter Raleigh reached Roanoke Island off the Carolina coast and returned with glowing reports. Raleigh named the new territory Virginia in honor of the Virgin Queen. The first attempt to plant an English colony there would follow the next year, and fail horribly. The name, honoring Elizabeth's virginity, was flattering propaganda that worked better in London drawing rooms than on the Carolina coast.