Skipping Cortez and Pizarro and Jumping Back to England

In 1492 CE, Italian navigator Christopher Columbus led a Spanish expedition to the Americas. Within three days of encountering the native Taino, he enslaved some and claimed their island home in the name of the Spanish crown. His voyages to the Americas popularized the European quest to find an easier route to India, the known route was sailing south around Africa....

The Spanish sent subsequent expeditions to find gold, spices, slaves, and any other valuables that could be claimed for the crown. Two of the best known voyages and conquests are Cortez's war against the Aztecs and Pizarro's massacre of Incas and execution of their emperor. It can be argued that teaching about Cortez's destruction of the Aztec Empire adds value to understanding US History: the spread of old world diseases as an epidemic, the enslavement of the native peoples is the foundation of New Spain, and Spanish Colonial territory which spread as far North as the American Southwest. And some point, we'll revisit some of this. I submit however that teaching about the destruction of the Aztec and (especially) Incan (in Peru) civilizations as part of US History is way to avoid talking about atrocities committed against native people in the United States. Textbook makers can point to these as examples of what Europeans did when they reached the Americas without it being the forefathers of the 13 American Colonies on the Atlantic coast. It's an effective way to talk about a real and uncomfortable issue without really talking about it.

So as we are not going to dwell on Spanish colonies in Mexico and South America, then we can skip ahead to the establishment of colonies on North America's Atlantic Coast.

In order to understand the colonization of the Atlantic coast, revisiting England is useful as these are mostly English colonies. As noted in an earlier post, the Roman Catholic Church has been the glue that held European society uneasily together. In 1517, just 25 years after Columbus sailed to the Americas, the protestant reformation begins. The reformation shakes the foundation of European society. Ten years after Martin Luther writes his 95 theses, King Henry VIII requests the Pope to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

In 1529, Parliament (we'll come back to Parliament) is called to consider religious reformation, and Thomas Cromwell, a reformer, enters stage right prepared as a lawyer to argue in favor splitting with the Roman Catholic Church. In 1532, the House of Commons (part of Parliament) passes Cromwell's petition, Supplication against the Ordinaries In short, this is a list of grievances targeted at the church's ability to enforce religious laws like charging / punishing people for heresy and raised concerns about clergy who held both the powers to enforce church law while also potentially holding positions within the English state. A longer story made short, the eventual outcome is that King Henry VIII becomes the head of the church in England in place of the Pope and the Anglican Church is born, starting the English Reformation.

This next part might be easiest to tell via a Timeline, but the key information to hold on to is that the state and church are the same. (ie the king or queen is now the head of the state (government) of England while also the head of the church of England, this means anyone who is not part of the state's religion can be perceived as threat to the state.)

• Edward VI - coronated 1547 - Anglican
• Mary I - coronated 1553 - Catholic
• Elizabeth I - coronated 1559 - Anglican
• James I - coronated 1603 - Anglican
• Charles I - coronated 1633 - Anglican
• English Civil War - 1642
• Charles I - executed - 1649
• Commonwealth of England - established as a Republic - 1649 (could be described a military dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell)

Each of these rulers passed laws about how church services should be held, defined religious rites, enforced particular prayer books, and either persecuted, imprisoned, executed or waged war against people who would not be compelled to follow. English Catholics and the Irish were regular targets but so were Puritans, Scottish Presbyterians, etc. Coalitions formed periodically to persecute one group or other, but this was period of significant civil and religious unrest in the British Isles.

This time period also overlaps with the foundation of colonies on the Atlantic coast. Maryland as an example is founded as refuge for English Catholics. While a Puritan settlement is founded in Massachusetts. It's important to keep in mind (and it is evident from the unrest), that there isn't a unified view of Christianity, instead each group is pretty confident that they are on the righteous path and the others are wrong in fact,  so wrong that people take up arms against one another, including the 30 Years War fought in modern day Germany.


There are two other things to establish as part of the backdrop for the English colonization of the Americas. One is Parliament, the other is the Magna Carta. Parliament was as a close to a legislature as existed for it's time. It was composed of two houses: The House of Lords (essentially English Lords or clergy), and the House of Commons (knights or city representatives). Parliament was a council for the monarchy and sort of a check and balance. The Magna Carta, written in 1215 was a list of rights (in particular rights of barons) but these included protection against illegal imprisonment, taxation reforms, and protections for the church. This document gets additional attentions after the turmoil of the English 17th Century and by Enlightenment thinkers.


The English establish Roanoke Colony in 1585, and subsequent colonies during this time of unrest. This unrest and English institutions like Parliament, the Magna Carta, and the Commonwealth of England will influence the formation of the United States a century later. This all serves as the backstory for future posts.