1. Foundations; 2. The expansion of English overseas interests: America; 3. The expansion of English overseas interests: Guinea; 4. The expansion of English overseas interests: Asia; 5. Civil War and English overseas interests; 6. New modelers; 7. Interregnum, restoration, and English overseas expansion; 8. Climax; 9. A new empire?; Bibliography; Index.
This book explores seventeenth-century English overseas expansion, offering a unique interpretation of the history of the early modern English Empire.
L. H. Roper is Professor of History at the State University of New York, New Paltz, and the author of Conceiving Carolina (2004) and The English Empire in America, 1602–1658 (2009). He has edited several books of essays and published numerous articles on early American history. He is also co-general editor of the Journal of Early American History.
'In this bold, bracing, and invigoratingly comprehensive
reinterpretation of the foundations of the seventeenth-century
English Empire in Asia and the Americas, L. H. Roper illustrates
the important role of private interests and fundamentally reshapes
the understanding of the formation of imperial power in the
founding period by looking at the English Empire in the round.'
Trevor Burnard, University of Melbourne
'In this innovative reconsideration of England's rise to empire,
Roper studies the seventeenth century and emphasizes private
enterprise and individual initiative rather than a pre-eminently
powerful state apparatus. Balancing current intellectual trends, he
reads history forward instead of anachronistically reinterpreting
it backwards.' Daniel Littlefield, University of South Carolina
'This impressive book examines the seventeenth-century origins of
England's global empire, locating its roots not in state
initiatives but in a myriad of chartered corporations and
individuals who traded and colonized from America to Asia. Roper
provides one of the best portraits of the modest beginnings of what
would later become the world's premier empire.' Owen Stanwood,
Boston College
'In this engaging new book, Roper introduces us to a coterie of
private 'colonial-imperialists' who advanced and promoted English
overseas expansion across the globe in the seventeenth century.
This book is a welcome addition to the body of recent scholarship
that has, perhaps, placed too much emphasis on English
empire-building as an intended outcome of early modern state
formation.' Ken MacMillan, University of Calgary
'Roper examines the creation and development of England's overseas
empire, questioning the new historiographical trend that
characterizes the pre-1688 English state as the central driving
force in overseas expansion. Instead, he argues that up until and
even after 1688, private interests were essential to building and
expanding the empire. Roper explains that overseas expansion began
with individuals who, after establishing overseas connections,
sought to strengthen their relationship with the state to ensure
preference and the protection of their gains and profits.
Individuals and their endeavors thus drew the state into the
colonial world, rather than the other way around. The author
provides three fascinating chapters on expansion in America,
Africa, and Asia, followed by an extended analysis of the overseas
empire from the civil war to 1688. The book's focus on individuals'
roles in building and expanding the empire adds balance to an
ongoing debate and should be read by advanced undergraduates,
graduate students, and specialists. Highly recommended.' J. Rankin,
Choice
'Who created the English empire? The state or private initiative?
In a well-written study, L. H. Roper shows that the English state
might have backed individual noblemen in their overseas endeavours,
but never took the lead.' Pieter Emmer, The English Historical
Review
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