English Colonization and Exploration

Although Spain dominated the early years of exploration, England became the commanding colonial power by the eighteenth century; however, the road to colonial might was bumpy for the British, and early settlers endured great hardships.
Factors that Encouraged English Colonization
Several events coincided that made the acquisition of New World colonies a virtual necessity for the English.

• After Spain discovered the Americas, gold and silver from the New World flooded into Europe, creating a severely inflated economy.
• England did not have any colonies that produced gold and suffered horribly from the inflation.
• Compounding the problems associated with inflation, farmers began growing New World foods like corn and potatoes, which helped to eliminate starvation in Britain.
• With more food available, more people began to live longer and the birth rates soared, resulting in a population boom.
• The increased population combined with economic problems, like the severe inflation, creating a chronic situation of unemployment and underemployment for the mass of British people.
• Once these events combined (the economic problems, increased population, unemployment, political instability, and religious conflict), the British had little choice but to look to acquire New World colonies.

Raleigh and Roanoke

English colonization began with Sir Humphrey Gilbert and his half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1578 Gilbert acquired a royal patent from Elizabeth, Queen of England, to discover and hold new territories not already claimed by other countries. He wanted to claim new land and transplant Englishmen to the Americas to settle and acquire wealth for themselves and for England.
Gilbert began his first transatlantic sailing in 1583, claimed land in Newfoundland and because winter was approaching, decided to return home. On the way back to England, Gilbert’s ship vanished, and he was never seen again. The next year Gilbert’s half-brother Raleigh petitioned the Queen for a commission in his own name.
In 1587, Raleigh sponsored an expedition of 117 men, women, and children, who settled on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. Because of the Spanish-English War, it was 1590 before another English ship was able to sail to Roanoke. When it arrived, the sailors found the settlement abandoned. No trace of the “Lost Colonists” of Roanoke was ever found.