The organized and systematic attempts made by the English to establish permanent settlements and exert control over territories in North America during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Related terms
Roanoke Colony: The first attempt at an English settlement in present-day North Carolina that mysteriously vanished.
Jamestown: The first successful permanent English settlement in Virginia.
Plymouth Colony: A small colony established by the Pilgrims in present-day Massachusetts as a haven for religious freedom.