The document summarizes the major events leading up to and during the initial planting of English colonies in North America in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It discusses the founding of early outposts by Spain, England, and France; the introduction of European crops, livestock, and African slaves; England's break with the Catholic church and growing Protestantism; increasing population and unemployment in England driving colonization; Queen Elizabeth energizing English exploration and colonization efforts including Sir Francis Drake's raids and early failed colonies in Newfoundland and Roanoke; and the defeat of the Spanish Armada marking a shift where England began to control the world's seas and further colonization efforts.