In this episode we discuss the planning for the first English colonization of North America in the context of England's strategy to resist Spanish hegemony and Protestantism's defense against Catholicism. We look at the key figures who advocated for, invested in, and led the first English settlement efforts, which include the two failed expeditions and tragic ending of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, which set up his younger half-brother, Sir Walter Ralegh, to take over the project.

#VastEarlyAmerica

Website: The History of the Americans

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Selected references for this episode

James Horn, A Kingdom Strange: The Brief and Tragic History of the Lost Colony of Roanoke

John Butman and Simon Targett, New World, Inc.: The Story of the British Empire’s Most Successful Start-Up

David Beers Quinn, Set Fair for Roanoke: Voyages and Colonies, 1584-1606