jan 1, 1588 - 1. Queen Elizabeth I

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*While some European nations spent most of the 16th century exploring and claiming new land in the New World, such as the Spanish and the Portuguese, the British did not join the fun until much later: the beginning of the 17th Century.* This was because for much of the 16th century, the British were at war with Spain. For years, the British were harassed by a much larger Spanish navy which made it hard for the British to send any large expeditions to the New World. However, under Queen Elizabeth, England was able to defeat that much larger Spanish Armada (in 1588), establishing themselves as a premier naval power. This would allow for the British to begin sending naval expeditions to the New World, mainly to help reduce the side effects of the population boom which had taken place in the 16th Century

AP Key Concept 2.1, I

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