Elizabethan America: 'God's Own Latitude?'
'In the beginning, America was in the way'. Only slowly did 16th-century Englishmen turn from the chimera of a short-cut to Asia's riches to the vision of precious metals to be mined and colonies planted in the New World.
Celebrations are currently under way in the United States to commemorate 'America's Four Hundredth Birthday'. Exhibits, publications, dramatisations, receptions, royal visits, a replica of an Elizabethan sailing ship, and even a special postage stamp, mark the quarter-centenary of the attempt between 1584 and 1587 to establish an English colony at Roanoke Island in what is now North Carolina. In the light of these festivities it is worth recalling what the English wanted from America during the first Elizabethan period, and what they achieved.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
