Final answer:
The first English settlement in North America was the Roanoke Colony, which mysteriously disappeared. It wasn't until Jamestown was established in 1607 that the English had a permanent settlement in North America, marking it as a significant historical event.
Step-by-step explanation:
The very first English settlement in North America was attempted on Roanoke Island in 1588, known as the Roanoke Colony. The colony, however, became known as the Lost Colony when it mysteriously disappeared by the time resupply ships returned. The fate of the Roanoke settlers remains a historical mystery, with theories suggesting they were either overrun by local Native American tribes or that they assimilated with the tribes due to starvation and the lack of support from England. After Roanoke, the first successful permanent English settlement was Jamestown, established in 1607 in the Chesapeake Bay region by the Virginia Company.
No search efforts were made for the Roanoke settlers by other English ships at that time, as the primary goal was to hunt Spanish ships in the south. Only after the establishment of Jamestown did the English begin to search for their lost countrymen, but no trace of them would ever be discovered. Jamestown's survival despite hardships marks its significance as the first permanent English settlement in what later became the United States.