The Stage is Set

In a sense, the conception of what we now know as the United States of America began in 1607, at Jamestown, with the establishment of an English Colony. The establishment of Jamestown in Virginia had the practical effect of England replacing Spain as the dominant world power in the region. The English had been chiseling away at the century old dominance of Spain in the “new world” with the explorations and piracy of men such as Sir John Hawkins, Sir Francis Drake, Cavendish and others. Spain’s dominance had been preserved by the strength of the Spanish Armada, but this naval superiority was severely weakened in 1588 when the Spanish Armada was defeated in a failed attempt to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada}. With the loss of its naval superiority, Spain was compelled to make peace with England in 1605. Private entrepreneurs, like Sir Walter Raleigh, had been the driving force to establish an English presence in Virginia. Now, with the threat of Spain diminished, King James I of England approved a charter in 1606 which allowed two English companies, the Virginia Company and the Plymouth Company, to establish settlements in what is now the United States of America. Thus, the stage was set for my English ancestors and later my ancestors from around the world to make the journey that I now attempt to trace.