From Settlement to Superpower I – The European Background
Detailed coverage of the colonial period of US history, including extensive discussion of the European background to American colonization. Originally aired in podcast format, from 2018-2019. Audio only. View all content
- 39 Hours 15 Minutes
What you will learn
These first episodes on From Settlement to Superpower give a brief overview of the English Reformation, from the Henrician break with Rome through the Elizabethan Settlement.
This module describes the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and Mexico, as well as the repeated attempts to establish a settlement on La Florida, or what is now the Southeastern United States.
Although Spain claimed exclusive rights to colonize America, the other European powers, most notably France and Spain, refused to acknowledge that right. This module deals primarily with those explorers and pirates who staked out claims in North America and plagued the overseas Spanish Empire.
As England drifted into open war with Spain, a base on North America from which to base her overseas operations was becoming both more necessary and potentially more lucrative. This module treats the events surrounding the establishment of the first English colony on American soil and the mystery of its abandonment.