While the Spanish and French exploration of the New World occurred in many areas prior to the English movement across the Atlantic, it was the English that would have the most impact with the 13 colonies that would become the United States.

Spain successfully established an empire that included most of modern-day Central and South America by financing expeditions that combined explorers searching for the abundant wealth hidden in the earth with highly motivated priests determined to spread the Christian faith.

The French originally concentrated less on permanent settlements. Instead, their expeditions tended to combine trappers and priests who worked more closely with the native population.

Following the defeat of Philip II’s Spanish Armada by Elizabeth’s navy of more navigable ships aided by a “Protestant Wind,” England dominated colonization in North America, and the strongest footholds would occur in the 13 colonies.

It’s difficult to imagine how differently our country might have developed had either the Spanish or French gained control. Both Spain and France had a long history of absolutist monarchy that “absolutely” controlled the political, social, religious, and intellectual life of all who lived under their rule. In contrast, when the English nobles met King John I on the plains at Runnymede in June 1215 and forced him the sign the Magna Carta, England took a different path that would eventually lead to a constitutional monarchy. The nobles extracted guarantees that form the basis of English rights:

• The monarch does not have unlimited power;
  
• All free men have a right to justice, including a fair trial by jury;
  
• The law is above all men and applies equally to everyone; and
  
• Free citizens can own and inherit property.

English common law had been born.

History tells us that these rights did not apply to all who lived within the realm — all men were not equal before the law — but that idea hung there as a possibility that would fuel future actions. By establishing common law and a system of precedents that aimed to create consistency in the application of the law, the English moved century by century toward an expansion of rights.

While the Spanish and French reserved control of religious practice and sought to look into the hearts of the citizens, Elizabeth I (1558-1603) advocated a national faith based on the teachings of the Anglican Church while practicing a more tolerant attitude toward minority faiths. She ruled with a strong will but understood the practical aspects of working closely with Parliament and appearing to ask their counsel.

The traditions of right to trial by jury, freedom from the quartering of troops, protection from search and seizure without justified cause, and the highly regarded concept of habeas corpus ingrained in practice and common law led to the rise of a Parliament that included landed gentry along with the historic lords of the realm. Out of the rise of the individual came an expanding economy and a willingness to take risks with capital and colonization.

The Roanoke Colony, an attempt by well-known explorer and notorious sea dog Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a permanent colony in North America, is one of the great mysteries of the 16th century. Raleigh, motivated by the multiple goals of discovering vast deposits of gold and silver, locating the hidden entrance of a passage to the Pacific Ocean, and spreading the Christian faith — along with increasing his own fame — failed in his first attempt. But in 1585 he founded his colony under the leadership of John White.

After mapping the region and recording his observations about the land and the native population, White returned to England for additional supplies, leaving behind the colonists, including his own family. Delayed by the conflict between England and Spain, he did not return to Roanoke until 1590, only to find that everyone had disappeared. Only a cryptic message hinted at their fate: The word “Croatoan” had been carved on a post. The “Lost Colony” was never found, and historians have speculated for centuries about both its demise and its survival. The story of the “Lost Colony” circulated throughout England, and the appeal of immigrating to the New World lessened for a decade or more.

Elizabeth I died in 1603 and, because she had never married and had no children, the throne passed to her nearest relative, James VI of Scotland, whose mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, had once attempted to overthrow Elizabeth and had been executed for her actions. Taking the throne as James I of England, the new king was almost immediately immersed in conflict. In his most well-known address to Parliament, James asserted, “The state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth; for kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon God’s throne, but even by God himself are called gods.”

After almost 400 years of having a voice in government, Parliament’s voice was being challenged.

Amid the governmental turmoil, a group of private investors formed a joint stock company and were able to secure the rights to attempt a new settlement, perhaps aided by their plan to name the new colony for the embattled king. Jamestown existed on paper. It was now time to make the plan a reality.