Ap US History
1/11/13
Chapter 1-2
The English were interested and capable of settling the New World in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries due to the religious unity, rise of a popular leader, and a growing sense of nationalism.
In the early 1500’s England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and created the English Protestant Reformation under the rule of King Henry VIII. This caused great conflict with the country causing the Catholics and Protestants to constantly fight. This was a big problem with the Catholic Irish who have been under English rule since the twelfth century. The Irish then tried to seek help from Spain, which were Catholics, to help overthrow the English. The Spanish would never come and the protestant Queen Elizabeth would crush the Irish rebellion.
The new queen of England unity the country and it became mainly Protestant. This would cause a rivalry with Catholic Spain. Queen Elizabeth I would inspire many buccaneers to take to the ocean and begin privacy. They would main raid Spanish ships bring treasures back from the new world. One of the most famous pirates was Francis Drake which was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. In retaliation of all the pirate attacks Spain sent a huge fleet, called the Spanish Armada, to attack England. The 130 ships of the Spanish armada stood no chance against the faster and more maneuverable English ships. But to make matters worse for the Spanish a huge storm came and destroyed the already wounded fleet. This now made England the king of the seas.
The defeating of the Spanish armada gave way to a hug sense of nationalism. This much nationalism