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Discovering North America

Parts of North America were the first places to be colonised successfully by the British, and Britain came to control thirteen colonies along the east coast.

How did it begin?

How did it begin?

  • By the end of the 15th century, Europeans were discovering new lands in parts of the world they had not previously known had existed.
  • Spain and Portugal were at the forefront of this age of exploration and discovery, being the first to discover Central and South America.
English exploration

English exploration

  • At this point, England could not compete with its European neighbours.
  • But at the start of the 17th century, investment in England’s navy and increased royal interest in exploration and discovery meant that England began to establish colonies overseas.
Raleigh’s ventures in the Americas

Raleigh’s ventures in the Americas

  • Walter Raleigh (an English explorer) was responsible for establishing the first (unsuccessful) English colony in North America in 1584.
  • He established a colony along the east coast which he named Virginia (after the Virgin Queen Elizabeth).
  • To that colony, he sent a group of English settlers to establish a settlement called Roanoke.
Roanoke

Roanoke

  • But the settlement mysteriously disappeared and when an expedition travelled to Roanoke from England a few years later, there was no sign of the colony.
  • Raleigh also set his sights on the great riches that he believed were available in the Americas in El Dorado (the ‘City of Gold’).
Failure of Raleigh

Failure of Raleigh

  • Although Raleigh is remembered as a great explorer at the beginning of England’s age of exploration, he failed to establish a successful settlement in the Americas.
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1

Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1

The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2

The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3

The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4

The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5

Medieval Religion

1.6

The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7

How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8

Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9

Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10

Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11

Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12

European Renaissance

1.13

Norman Conquest & Control

1.14

Historical Skills

2

The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1

Anglo-Saxon England

2.2

The Contest for the English Throne

2.3

Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4

King John

2.5

The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6

The Black Death

3

Worldviews

4

The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5

The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6

The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7

The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8

Religion in the Middle Ages

9

Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10

The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11

The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12

US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13

The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14

The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15

Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16

World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17

The Russian Revolution: 1917 AD

18

The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

19

World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

20

The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

21

Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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