The Atlantic World in 1607

US History – European Colonisation, 1607-1754

In this course, Professor Peter C. Mancall (University of Southern California) discusses the European colonisation of the North American continent. This course seeks to explain how and why various European colonies developed and expanded from 1607 to 1754. We start by looking at what the Atlantic world looked like in 1607. We then turn to examine the establishment of England's first successful colony on the North American continent, Virginia. In the third module, we travel northwards to look at the establishment of the New England colonies by English Puritans. In the penultimate module, we focus in on the institution of slavery to see how it became established in North America. In the final module, we examine the instability of the 1670s and how this decade set a course that would shape America for centuries.

The Atlantic World in 1607

In this module, we look at what the Atlantic World looked like in 1607. At the start of our period, the Americas were dominated by Spain which had expanded from the West Indies into Central and South America. The English looked on Spanish wealth with jealousy and sought to establish their own colonies in the Americas. They gave a variety of reasons for this, including: (i) to spread Protestant Christianity; (ii) to discover the Northwest Passage; (iii) to bring ‘glory’ to the Crown; (iv) to disperse their population; and (v) to create new markets for their goods. Their attempts at establishing a colony failed until they established Virginia in 1607.