A Kingdom Strange By John Horn - 1271 Words

A Kingdom Strange by John Horn is a history book about settlers trying to establish the first English colony in America. They faced many obstacles and challenges trying to establish the colony of Roanoke. Before the English ventured to Roanoke Europeans explored and settled the New World. The Spanish were the most successful in settling the New World. They conquered most of Central and South America. Their main objective was to convert all of the Indians to Christianity. â€Å"Spain’s claim to posses the Americas was based on discovery, conquest, and settlement, but even more important, it was founded on the sacred enterprise of extending the Catholic faith to (in Spanish eyes) â€Å"barbarous† native peoples† (Horn 12). The English investors,†¦show more content†¦Queen Elizabeth’s goal for New World exploration and settlement was to better her country and its people. â€Å"And the bill had been something of promotional coup in emphasizing Eliza beth’s explicit wish that her people benefit from the establishment of colonies and her hope that rich unknown land would be discovered† (Horn 64). The English men and women joined the ventures in hopes to better their own life or that of their families. Another reason some joined the venture was that they hoped to be able to freely practice their own religion in the Americas. â€Å"The opportunity to worship according to their own beliefs in America may have been a major incentive for some settlers to join White’s venture† (Horn 133). Most of the settlers that White was recruiting were people that he knew or people that he was recruiting knew. â€Å"At least a third of the settlers were related to other members of the group† (Horn 130). The settlers represented many different kinds of groups. A group that they represented was the Puritans. â€Å"There is a strong possibility that some of the London colonists were Puritans. London was at the heart of the English Puritan movement after the restoration of the Protestant church in 1558† (Horn 131). They also had a middle class background. â€Å"Most of the colony’s ruling group came from respectable middle-class backgrounds† (Horn 126). By settling in the Roanoke Colony they hoped to achieve a better life for themselves or their families back home. Life in