In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh of England was granted permission by Queen Elizabeth I the first to come to the newly discovered Americas and attempted to establish a colony for the English.  This would be the first attempt of colonization by the English to the new world.  Until the end of the 15th Century, no one dared cross the Atlantic Ocean for fear of the unknown, but finding the Americas opened doors for the English to create a global dominating state and spread its power and ideology to every corner of the world.  This colony established on Roanoke Island is also known as the “Lost Colony” because the colony mysteriously vanished and was a complete failure for the English.  Fortunately, this attempt fostered more attempts for colonization, which led to the English having colonies all up and down the east coast of North America until American Independence.  Even still, these early British colonies set up a long line of trust and alliance between the two countries which still exists today.

Left Image: A depiction of the “Lost colony”.

Right Image: What the colony was speculated to look like.  I think it is interesting to point out the Native Americans running right outside the colony walls. Unfortunately, to establish great global superiority, the English had to put themselves in risky, uncomfortable situations in order to eventually find success in achieving such a great global status.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/raleigh_walter.shtml