What do you think?
Rate this book
We Could Perceive No Sign of Them: Failed Colonies in North America, 1526–1689
The Story of the Many Ill-Fated Attempts by Europeans to Create Permanent Settlements in the New World
The nations of the modern Americas began as successful colonies, but not all colonies succeeded, and the margin between colonies that survived and those that failed was small. Both contribute to our understanding of the ordeals of the Europeans who first settled in the New World and of the Native Americans who had to interact with them, but with the exception of the famous lost Roanoke colony, the failed colonies of North America remain largely unknown except to specialists in colonial history. The Spanish and French repeatedly attempted to colonize parts of Georgia, Florida, and Virginia, while the Dutch, French, and English sought to establish permanent settlements along the northern waterways of the New World. The greatest problem faced by every colony was the specter of starvation. Native Americans gave food to newly arrived colonists, but such generosity could not endure. Indigenous people soon realized that colonists of every nationality were prepared to make war against Native peoples, conquer, subjugate, and even massacre whole communities unless they were cooperative and offered no resistance to the intrusion into their territory. In response, Native Americans withheld aid or resorted to retaliatory violence, dooming many European settlements.
In We Could Perceive No Sign of Failed Colonies in North America, 1526–1689, historians David MacDonald and Raine Waters tell the fascinating stories of the many attempts to establish a European foothold in the New World, from the first Spanish colony in 1526 on the coast of Georgia to the final disastrous French endeavors near the arctic. Using primary source texts, the authors synthesize the shared experiences of Europeans to better understand the very fine line between success and failure and the varieties of Native American responses.
The nations of the modern Americas began as successful colonies, but not all colonies succeeded, and the margin between colonies that survived and those that failed was small. Both contribute to our understanding of the ordeals of the Europeans who first settled in the New World and of the Native Americans who had to interact with them, but with the exception of the famous lost Roanoke colony, the failed colonies of North America remain largely unknown except to specialists in colonial history. The Spanish and French repeatedly attempted to colonize parts of Georgia, Florida, and Virginia, while the Dutch, French, and English sought to establish permanent settlements along the northern waterways of the New World. The greatest problem faced by every colony was the specter of starvation. Native Americans gave food to newly arrived colonists, but such generosity could not endure. Indigenous people soon realized that colonists of every nationality were prepared to make war against Native peoples, conquer, subjugate, and even massacre whole communities unless they were cooperative and offered no resistance to the intrusion into their territory. In response, Native Americans withheld aid or resorted to retaliatory violence, dooming many European settlements.
In We Could Perceive No Sign of Failed Colonies in North America, 1526–1689, historians David MacDonald and Raine Waters tell the fascinating stories of the many attempts to establish a European foothold in the New World, from the first Spanish colony in 1526 on the coast of Georgia to the final disastrous French endeavors near the arctic. Using primary source texts, the authors synthesize the shared experiences of Europeans to better understand the very fine line between success and failure and the varieties of Native American responses.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 30, 2020
About the author
David MacDonald
119 books3 followersDavid MacDonald was born and grew up in southern Ontario.
After studying English Literature at the University of Toronto, David became a writer and editor, specializing in books for young people. In addition to co-authoring A Native American Thought of It (2008), David has written several educational books for young readers, and has edited over 40 books for children, including picture books, fairy tale anthologies, biographies, and nonfiction on a wide variety of topics.
David lives in Toronto, Ontario.
After studying English Literature at the University of Toronto, David became a writer and editor, specializing in books for young people. In addition to co-authoring A Native American Thought of It (2008), David has written several educational books for young readers, and has edited over 40 books for children, including picture books, fairy tale anthologies, biographies, and nonfiction on a wide variety of topics.
David lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 22, 2023
Starts as False as a Canadian Diamond
From the first African slave revolt at the first Spanish colony in North America, to the first English colonial birth in America at the second (and mysteriously lost) colony at Roanoke; this book marks out the trail of earliest colonial endeavors in the northern continent by the Spanish, French, and English. That slave revolt ended with the slaves joining the Guale Indians, while the Spanish settlers fought each other at San Miguel de Gualdape somewhere between today's Winyah Bay, South Carolina and Sapelo Bay, Georgia. John White's granddaughter, Virginia Dare was born in her namesake Virginia.
Of the more than fifteen colonies related here, it was the efforts of Cartier and Roberval in Canada; at Ste. Croix, Charlesbourg-Royal, and France-Roy in the early 1540's that most captured my imagination. The colonization project was absorbing to say the least. But, add the story of a young unmarried lady of child-bearing age, (relative of Governor Roberval) who falls in love with a passenger on the voyage, and because of this the two of them are cast off and stranded on an uninhabited island with a few supplies. The man died, and likely their baby born on the island died. Marguerite, for that was her name, survived by hunting and gathering and was eventually rescued by a passing ship, and lived till old age.
Her story became a literary hit while both she and Roberval still lived. Naturally, that whole chapter was worth re-reading twice more, and almost prevented me moving on to the next chapters, as I was lost there among the Iroquoians for some time. Marguerite's tale can be read today in The Heptameron of Marguerite d'Angouleme, (Marguerite de Navarre.) This took place at the site of modern day Quebec near the Saint-Laurent River, where some digging has been conducted by Archaeologist Yves Chretien.
For the most part, these ventures were founded in pursuit of mineral wealth. And, most of them failed primarily because of ignorance which led to inappropriate preparation. The one factor that would have been most helpful in balancing all their other problems was a willingness to know and understand the native population of the land; and the blessing of being able to augment their own supplies with those they were able to obtain by trade, as evidenced by the successful Jamestown colony. But, these colonial attempts were all as false as a Canadian diamond, a French expression mentioned in the book: "Faux comme un diamant du Canada." A failed attempt at finding diamonds in Canada led to the coining of this expression.
This little hardback has been my 'traditional' November read for Thanksgiving, though I don't always hold to traditions.
From the first African slave revolt at the first Spanish colony in North America, to the first English colonial birth in America at the second (and mysteriously lost) colony at Roanoke; this book marks out the trail of earliest colonial endeavors in the northern continent by the Spanish, French, and English. That slave revolt ended with the slaves joining the Guale Indians, while the Spanish settlers fought each other at San Miguel de Gualdape somewhere between today's Winyah Bay, South Carolina and Sapelo Bay, Georgia. John White's granddaughter, Virginia Dare was born in her namesake Virginia.
Of the more than fifteen colonies related here, it was the efforts of Cartier and Roberval in Canada; at Ste. Croix, Charlesbourg-Royal, and France-Roy in the early 1540's that most captured my imagination. The colonization project was absorbing to say the least. But, add the story of a young unmarried lady of child-bearing age, (relative of Governor Roberval) who falls in love with a passenger on the voyage, and because of this the two of them are cast off and stranded on an uninhabited island with a few supplies. The man died, and likely their baby born on the island died. Marguerite, for that was her name, survived by hunting and gathering and was eventually rescued by a passing ship, and lived till old age.
Her story became a literary hit while both she and Roberval still lived. Naturally, that whole chapter was worth re-reading twice more, and almost prevented me moving on to the next chapters, as I was lost there among the Iroquoians for some time. Marguerite's tale can be read today in The Heptameron of Marguerite d'Angouleme, (Marguerite de Navarre.) This took place at the site of modern day Quebec near the Saint-Laurent River, where some digging has been conducted by Archaeologist Yves Chretien.
For the most part, these ventures were founded in pursuit of mineral wealth. And, most of them failed primarily because of ignorance which led to inappropriate preparation. The one factor that would have been most helpful in balancing all their other problems was a willingness to know and understand the native population of the land; and the blessing of being able to augment their own supplies with those they were able to obtain by trade, as evidenced by the successful Jamestown colony. But, these colonial attempts were all as false as a Canadian diamond, a French expression mentioned in the book: "Faux comme un diamant du Canada." A failed attempt at finding diamonds in Canada led to the coining of this expression.
This little hardback has been my 'traditional' November read for Thanksgiving, though I don't always hold to traditions.
December 2, 2025
A lot of interesting information on obscure failed colonies. Has a lot of dry humor on mistakes made by attempted colonists, and it’s very well-researched, bringing lots of difficult sources together. Works well as a source of information on these colonies, but it’s light on historical analysis, and tends to be a long information dump, which can get tedious and difficult to read at times.
May 1, 2021
The Good
The book is organized into a series of vignettes about several failed colonies in North America, starting with Spanish and French colonies in the Southeast, then moving to French Canada, before ending with English colonial attempts at Roanoke, Maine, and an Arctic mining endeavor. The result is a great introduction to the planning, settlement, abandonment, and aftermath of each attempt. I really appreciated how each chapter ended with a discussion of primary sources for further reading about that specific colony.
The great utility of this book is compiling a record of colonial failures in one convenient, and readable, volume. So often I see misconceptions about European colonialism that assumes they were universally successful, when in reality most early colonial attempts failed miserably. It is great to have these stories brought together. I foresee pointing people to this book for an introduction into how disastrous most settlements really were, with famine, disease, and violence leading to their heartbreaking abandonment.
The Bad
Here I betray my bias, but this is very much a history book focused on the colonial paper trail, and the people who wrote those documents. Archaeology, when discussed, is tacked on to the end of the chapter as an interesting aside instead of another valuable tool for understanding these early colonies. I get it, we all feel more comfortable in our own discipline, but when the reality on the ground is shrouded by written attempts to save face, to recoup losses, or even lost to time, archaeology provides another way to examine the data, and complement, or confront, the written record.
Finally, here I really betray my bias. You are warned...
One man's colony is another's home. The focus on colonial attempts from a European perspective provides less than half the story for why they failed, or succeeded. The French, or Spanish, or English weren't plopping a town down on vacant land. Someone lived there. Someone, by allowing the settlement to persist, gave their permission for the colony to be there. And, given the poor planning for all these sites, neighboring Native American nations saved lives by trading/giving food, and knowledge about the physical and human terrain of the region. MacDonald and Waters do mention Native American reactions but it is very much in the context of a response to Europeans, not often discussed as active agents working for their own goals and in their own time frame.
I fully acknowledge my bias, and realize a single volume can't be all things to all readers. I appreciate their work, and I anticipate recommending this book many times.
The book is organized into a series of vignettes about several failed colonies in North America, starting with Spanish and French colonies in the Southeast, then moving to French Canada, before ending with English colonial attempts at Roanoke, Maine, and an Arctic mining endeavor. The result is a great introduction to the planning, settlement, abandonment, and aftermath of each attempt. I really appreciated how each chapter ended with a discussion of primary sources for further reading about that specific colony.
The great utility of this book is compiling a record of colonial failures in one convenient, and readable, volume. So often I see misconceptions about European colonialism that assumes they were universally successful, when in reality most early colonial attempts failed miserably. It is great to have these stories brought together. I foresee pointing people to this book for an introduction into how disastrous most settlements really were, with famine, disease, and violence leading to their heartbreaking abandonment.
The Bad
Here I betray my bias, but this is very much a history book focused on the colonial paper trail, and the people who wrote those documents. Archaeology, when discussed, is tacked on to the end of the chapter as an interesting aside instead of another valuable tool for understanding these early colonies. I get it, we all feel more comfortable in our own discipline, but when the reality on the ground is shrouded by written attempts to save face, to recoup losses, or even lost to time, archaeology provides another way to examine the data, and complement, or confront, the written record.
Finally, here I really betray my bias. You are warned...
One man's colony is another's home. The focus on colonial attempts from a European perspective provides less than half the story for why they failed, or succeeded. The French, or Spanish, or English weren't plopping a town down on vacant land. Someone lived there. Someone, by allowing the settlement to persist, gave their permission for the colony to be there. And, given the poor planning for all these sites, neighboring Native American nations saved lives by trading/giving food, and knowledge about the physical and human terrain of the region. MacDonald and Waters do mention Native American reactions but it is very much in the context of a response to Europeans, not often discussed as active agents working for their own goals and in their own time frame.
I fully acknowledge my bias, and realize a single volume can't be all things to all readers. I appreciate their work, and I anticipate recommending this book many times.
September 19, 2024
** A history of failed European colonies in North America **
This book details a handful of failed attempts by Spain, England, and France to establish colonies in North America in the 1500s and 1600s.
It starts with a section on Spanish and French attempts around the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast of the modern US -- from the Texas coast around Florida and up to Virginia. Then, a section on French attempts to colonize parts of Canada -- which eventually led to Quebec but also to a few failures. And finally, an account of English attempts along the mid-Atlantic and Maine, including the infamous Lost Colony at Roanoke.
Causes for failure were abundant and often the same. Hostile Indians were the most minor problem -- they were more helpful than threatening, at least until the Europeans attacked and kidnapped them enough to make them defensive. But the Europeans often showed up with inadequate supplies and lack of skill. Poor planning, poor timing with regard to the growing seasons, insufficient funding, unreliable and capricious royal support, arrogance, disloyalty, and internecine fighting were common problems. And in the northern winters, scurvy -- always scurvy in winter.
The colonial motivations typically revolved around hopes of finding mines for gold and silver, but also copper and zinc would do; finding the ever-fetishized Northwest Passage for commercial trips to China; and the idea of a establishing a short land route to the Pacific, based on a wildly misunderstood geography of the American land mass.
In the case of Roanoke, a small colony was established by John White in 1587. He returned to England that year intending to come back shortly with supplies. His return was delayed by war with Spain, politics, and piracy, and by the time a return mission arrived 3 years later the colony was gone, fate unknown. The most reasonable theory seems to be that the colonists willfully abandoned Roanoke for some other location but the attempt failed or they scattered among the natives.
The book sticks to the facts with only a minimum of critical analysis, and in fact I found it kind of dry. The best part for a motivated student of history is the thorough bibliographical notes at the end of each chapter, though a thorough study of some of those sources would require a command of early modern Spanish and French.
This book details a handful of failed attempts by Spain, England, and France to establish colonies in North America in the 1500s and 1600s.
It starts with a section on Spanish and French attempts around the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast of the modern US -- from the Texas coast around Florida and up to Virginia. Then, a section on French attempts to colonize parts of Canada -- which eventually led to Quebec but also to a few failures. And finally, an account of English attempts along the mid-Atlantic and Maine, including the infamous Lost Colony at Roanoke.
Causes for failure were abundant and often the same. Hostile Indians were the most minor problem -- they were more helpful than threatening, at least until the Europeans attacked and kidnapped them enough to make them defensive. But the Europeans often showed up with inadequate supplies and lack of skill. Poor planning, poor timing with regard to the growing seasons, insufficient funding, unreliable and capricious royal support, arrogance, disloyalty, and internecine fighting were common problems. And in the northern winters, scurvy -- always scurvy in winter.
The colonial motivations typically revolved around hopes of finding mines for gold and silver, but also copper and zinc would do; finding the ever-fetishized Northwest Passage for commercial trips to China; and the idea of a establishing a short land route to the Pacific, based on a wildly misunderstood geography of the American land mass.
In the case of Roanoke, a small colony was established by John White in 1587. He returned to England that year intending to come back shortly with supplies. His return was delayed by war with Spain, politics, and piracy, and by the time a return mission arrived 3 years later the colony was gone, fate unknown. The most reasonable theory seems to be that the colonists willfully abandoned Roanoke for some other location but the attempt failed or they scattered among the natives.
The book sticks to the facts with only a minimum of critical analysis, and in fact I found it kind of dry. The best part for a motivated student of history is the thorough bibliographical notes at the end of each chapter, though a thorough study of some of those sources would require a command of early modern Spanish and French.
September 24, 2021
This book tells of the many attempts that were made to colonize the Americas that failed.We always here about Roanoke,but not about the Canadian settlements that dissapeared.It was fascinating! Jack de Golia was a wonderful narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'
June 1, 2022
4 stars because this book doesn't really deserve a lower score. It is what it says it is.
Lots of facts and accounts of failed colonies, and it reads like lots of facts and failed colonies. It ended up being hard for me to read because I was pretty bored the whole time. I would only recommend it to those who are really into history.
Lots of facts and accounts of failed colonies, and it reads like lots of facts and failed colonies. It ended up being hard for me to read because I was pretty bored the whole time. I would only recommend it to those who are really into history.
January 23, 2023
This book is a very interesting read. I did know of one of two failed English colonies, but did not know about the others mentioned. It was also interesting to know the failed colonies of other colonial empires as well like the French and Spanish. I would recommend this book to any American history nerd, especially if your thing is colonial history.
January 25, 2023
Interesting and balanced with a refreshingly fair and balanced view of colonial life and realities many forget.
Most of these colonies were unknown to me and hearing about their failures expended my perspective.
Most of these colonies were unknown to me and hearing about their failures expended my perspective.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2026
Astoundingly boring.
October 3, 2022
Bad weather, cruelty, incompetence, Jesus, megalomaniacal captains, and mutinous colonists. You'd think all of these elements would make for an exciting read, and maybe in another book they would, but not this one.
A painfully dull and boring read. Look elsewhere for true stories of the colonial era.
A painfully dull and boring read. Look elsewhere for true stories of the colonial era.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews