England and Spain had been heading toward war for years
Trading rivalry and religious differences divided the two countries
King Philip II
Ruled Spain from 1556 to 1598, was a powerful monarch and a strong defender of the Catholic faith
King Philip II
Wanted to put a Catholic ruler on the throne of England and bring the country back to the Catholic Church
King Philip II
Did not consider Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, the rightful ruler of England
Attacks on Spanish ships and ports by English adventurers like Sir Francis Drake
Angered King Philip II
King Philip II
Thought Queen Elizabeth should punish Drake for his raids
Queen Elizabeth
Honored Drake with a knighthood instead
King Philip II
Sent the Spanish Armada to conquer England, but it failed completely
The defeat of the Spanish Armada marked the end of Spanish control of the seas
The way was now clear for England and other nations to start colonies in North America
In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for Queen Elizabeth
In 1584 Queen Elizabeth gave Sir Walter Raleigh the right to claim land in North America
Raleigh sent an expedition to Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina
In 1585 Raleigh sent about 100 men to settle on Roanoke Island
In 1587 Raleigh tried again, sending 91 men, 17 women, and 9 children to Roanoke
John White, a mapmaker and artist, led the group to Roanoke
Shortly after arriving, White's daughter gave birth to Virginia Dare, the first English child born in North America
When White returned to Roanoke 3 years later, he found it deserted
The only clue was the word "Croatoan" carved on a gatepost
The Roanoke colonists were never seen again
Roanoke was Sir Walter Raleigh's last attempt to establish a colony
In 1606 several groups of merchants sought charters from King James I to organize settlements in North America
Virginia Company of London
Received a charter to "make habitation . . . into that part of America, commonly called Virginia"
Virginia Company
A joint-stock company, investors bought stock (part ownership) in return for a share of future profits
In December 1606, the Virginia Company sent 144 settlers in 3 ships to build a new colony in North America
The settlers were supposed to look for gold and attempt to establish trade in fish and furs
40 of the settlers died during the voyage
In April 1607, the ships entered Chesapeake Bay and sailed up a river, naming it the James and their new settlement Jamestown
Jamestown
Built on a peninsula to defend it from attack, but had major drawbacks - swampy land swarming with disease-carrying mosquitoes and lack of good farmland
Many Native American groups lived near the first English settlements in the late 1500s and early 1600s
Captain John Smith, an experienced soldier and explorer, forced the Jamestown settlers to work and helped the colony survive its first two years
John Rolfe learned to grow a type of tobacco using seeds from the West Indies, the first crop was sold in England in 1614
Rolfe's marriage to Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan
Improved relations between the colonists and Native Americans
In 1614 some colonists were allowed to rent plotsofland, encouragingthemtogrowfoodcrops to sell and workharder
Private land ownership was expanded in 1618, with land grants given to those who paid their own way to America
This system convinced thousands of people to move to Virginia
In 1619 the Virginia Company agreed to let the colonists have some say in their government, with the House of Burgesses meeting for the first time
In 1619 the Virginia Company sent 90 women to Jamestown to encourage marriage and families
In 1619 a Dutch ship brought 20 Africans to Jamestown, who were sold to Virginia planters to labor in the tobacco fields
Until about 1640 some African laborers in Jamestown were free and even owned property