Queen Elizabeth: Queen Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Her reign, known as the Elizabethan Era, was marked by the flourishing of English drama, expansion overseas, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Sea Dogs: A group of English privateers authorized by Queen Elizabeth I to raid Spanish ships and settlements during the late 16th century. Notable members included Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins.

Francis Drake: An English sea captain, privateer, naval officer, and explorer. He was the second person to circumnavigate the globe (1577-1580) and played a key role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert/Newfoundland: An English explorer who, in 1583, claimed Newfoundland (in present-day Canada) for England. He is considered a pioneer of English colonization in North America.

Sir Walter Raleigh/Roanoke Island: An English explorer who sponsored attempts to establish an English colony on Roanoke Island (in present-day North Carolina) in the late 1580s. The colony is famously known as the "Lost Colony" due to its mysterious disappearance.

Philip II: King of Spain from 1556 to 1598. He was a staunch Catholic and a major opponent of Protestant England and Queen Elizabeth I. His reign included the launch of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Spanish Armada 1588: A large fleet sent by King Philip II of Spain in 1588 to invade England. The Armada was defeated by the smaller, more maneuverable English fleet, marking a turning point in naval warfare and the decline of Spanish dominance.

Enclosing: The process of converting common land into private land by fencing it off, which began in England in the late Middle Ages and accelerated in the 16th and 17th centuries. It led to the displacement of peasant farmers and contributed to social unrest and migration to the Americas.

Primogeniture: A legal principle where the eldest son inherits all of a family's land and wealth. This practice led younger sons to seek their fortunes elsewhere, including in the New World.

Joint-Stock Company: A business entity where different investors pool their money to fund a venture, sharing in the profits or losses. This model was used to fund many early English colonies, including Jamestown.

Virginia Company: A joint-stock company chartered by King James I in 1606 to establish settlements in North America. It funded the establishment of Jamestown in 1607.

James I: King of England (1603–1625) who granted the charter to the Virginia Company, leading to the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Jamestown 1607: The first permanent English settlement in North America, established by the Virginia Company in the Colony of Virginia. It became the foundation of what would become the United States.

Captain John Smith: An English soldier and explorer who played a crucial role in the establishment and survival of Jamestown. His leadership and relationship with the Powhatan tribe were vital in the colony's early years.

Powhatan/Pocahontas: Powhatan was the chief of a confederation of Native American tribes in Virginia. Pocahontas, his daughter, is famously known for her association with Jamestown and John Smith, and later for her marriage to English settler John Rolfe.

Starving Time: The winter of 1609–1610 in Jamestown, where the colony faced extreme starvation and disease, leading to the deaths of a significant portion of its settlers.

Lord De La Warr: An English nobleman who became the first governor of Virginia in 1610. He implemented strict military discipline in the colony and introduced "Irish tactics" against the Powhatan Confederacy.

Irish Tactics: Military tactics used by Lord De La Warr in Virginia, which were modeled after harsh methods used in the English conquest of Ireland. They included scorched-earth policies such as burning villages and crops.

John Rolfe: An early English settler of North America who is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia. He married Pocahontas, which helped establish peace between English settlers and Powhatan tribes.

Tobacco: A cash crop that became the economic foundation of the Virginia colony. Its cultivation and export brought wealth to the colony and shaped its economy and social structure.

House of Burgesses: Established in 1619, it was the first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America, serving as a model for other colonial governments.

Maryland/Lord Baltimore: Maryland was founded in 1634 by Cecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, as a haven for Catholics facing persecution in England. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Indentured Servants: People who worked for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to the New World. They played a significant role in the labor force of early colonial America.

Act of Toleration 1649: A law passed in Maryland granting religious freedom to all Christians. It was one of the first laws protecting religious freedom in the English colonies.

Jamaica: An island in the Caribbean captured by the English from the Spanish in 1655. It became a major center for sugar production and the transatlantic slave trade.

Sugar Cane: A profitable cash crop grown in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. Its cultivation required intensive labor, leading to the widespread use of enslaved Africans.

Codes/Barbados Slave Code 1661: A set of laws established in Barbados that defined the status of enslaved people and the rights of their owners. It served as a model for slave codes in other English colonies.

Charles I/English Civil War: Charles I was the King of England who ruled from 1625 until his execution in 1649. His conflict with Parliament over governance and religious issues led to the English Civil War (1642-1651).

Oliver Cromwell: A military and political leader who led the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War. He became Lord Protector of England from 1653 until his death in 1658.

Charles II/Restoration: Charles II became king in 1660 during the Restoration period, which marked the return of the monarchy after the English Civil War and the rule of Oliver Cromwell.

Carolina/Lords Proprietors: Carolina was founded in 1663 as a proprietary colony granted by King Charles II to eight of his loyal supporters (the Lords Proprietors). It later split into North and South Carolina.

Rice: A staple crop in the Carolina colony, particularly in South Carolina, where its cultivation became a major part of the economy due to the favorable growing conditions and the use of enslaved African labor.

Charleston: A major port city founded in the Carolina colony in 1670. It became a key economic and cultural center in the South, known for its trade, including in enslaved Africans.

Savannah: A city in Georgia founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe. It was the first settlement of the Georgia colony, established as a buffer against Spanish Florida and as a place for debtors to start anew.

James Oglethorpe: The founder of Georgia in 1733. He established the colony as a place for the "worthy poor" of England to start afresh and as a military buffer against Spanish Florida.