The Planting of English America
1. England’s Imperial Stirrings
1. By the year 1607, Central and South America was largely controlled by Spain or Portugal, but North America was mostly unclaimed.
1. In North America, there were few Europeans.
1. Spain had established Santa Fe.
2. France had established Quebec.
3. Britain had just established Jamestown, and it was struggling.
2. In the 1500s, Britain had made only feeble efforts to colonize America. There was a rash of problems hinging on a mix of religion and politics…
1. King Henry VIII had broken with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, bringing the Protestant Reformation to England and thus creating religious division.
2. When Elizabeth I became queen, England moved decidedly in the Protestant direction. This also meant Catholic Spain was an immediate rival.
3. And there was the “Irish problem.” Catholic Ireland sought Spain’s help in ousting Protestant England’s control over the “Emerald” island of Ireland.
4. The end result of these events was a great deal of hatred between England and the Catholic nations.
2. Elizabeth Energizes England
1. Elizabeth I was a fiery red-headed queen with loads of ambition, gall, and the political shrewdness to get what she wanted.
2. Francis Drake was a “sea dog” who pirated Spanish ships for gold. On one occasion, he stole the gold, circumnavigated the earth, and then was rewarded by Elizabeth I knighting him on his ship. This brazen reward by the English queen infuriated the Spanish.
3. First attempts by the British to colonize the American coast failed miserably.
1. Sir Humphrey Gilbert died at sea.
2. Sir Walter Raleigh established the Roanoke Island Colony, later to become known as The Lost Colony. Raleigh returned to England and the colony vanished mysteriously.
4. Spain plotted revenge on England and in 1588 their Spanish Armada attacked England only to get themselves defeated. The turning point in history was a large one…
1. This stunning...