16th Century

Seeking riches, selling enslaved

Looking West

Religious wars in Europe and rivalries between major states encouraged England to focus on establishing colonies in newly discovered Americas. Significant in increasing England’s wealth and territories in North America was Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh.

John Hawkins acquired and sold enslaved Africans to work on plantations in South America and the Caribbean.

Different groups left Britain to start a life in North and South Americas (New World) Many of these were indentured servants, whilst others left Britain because of economic hardship.

Elizabethan ‘Sea Dogs’

Sir John Hawkins

1532-1595

Explored coasts of Africa

Slave Trader

Helped to build the Royal Navy

Sir Walter Raleigh

1552-1618

Established English settlements in North America

Sir Francis Drake

Helped to defeat Spanish Armada

Stole gold from Spanish ships

  • Queen Elizabeth I set the foundations for a powerful navy:

  • Sir Francis Drake was given permission to steal Spanish gold as it made its way back to Madrid.

  • Other ‘sea-dogs’ saw an opportunity to supply slaves to Spanish and Portuguese to work on their sugar and tobacco plantations.

  • Eventually British investors began establishing plantations on Caribbean islands, making lots of money using slave labour to process valuable sugar crops.

  • Raleigh’s exploits had the longest lasting influence on the development of the British Empire. Raleigh’s expeditions to North America opened the path for other Englishmen to emigrate there and trade valuable furs, as well as establishing increasingly profitable plantations.