About the lecture

In this module, we look at the origins of British settlement in the Caribbean. In particular, we will look at the key questions: (i) What were the motivations behind the earliest British voyages to the Americas, particularly those led by John and Sebastian Cabot?; (ii) How did the mythical island of Brazil and the Northwest Passage influence British exploration efforts in the Atlantic and North American regions?; (iii) What changes occurred in British overseas engagement in the mid-1500s, particularly in relation to raiding Spanish and Portuguese colonies?; (iv) How did religious and strategic rivalries between Protestant England and Catholic Spain and Portugal shape English maritime activities?; (v) What role did John Hawkins play in the early English slave trade, and what were the outcomes of his voyages?; (vi) How did early attempts at English colonisation, such as Roanoke and Raleigh’s expedition to Guyana, influence subsequent colonisation strategies?; (vii) What factors contributed to the establishment of successful English colonies in the early seventeenth century, particularly in Jamestown and the Caribbean?; and (viii) How did the need for labor in these new colonies impact migration and settlement patterns in the Caribbean?

About the lecturer

Professor Sean Kelley is Professor of History at the University of Essex. He specialises in New World slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. With this in mind, he has published widely, including American Slavers: Merchants, Mariners, and the Transatlantic Commerce in Captives, 1644-1865 (Yale University Press, 2023).