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Why did England colonize the New World later than the rest of Europe? What political and religious conditions had created a century of conflict in England? What factors finally pushed the English west across the ocean? As Europe began to colonize the New World, there were many factors that determined which countries got to conquer more land. Spain and Portugal were the most powerful monarchies in this race, in part due to their association with the Catholic Church in Rome. England, however, lacked political and religious stability to compete with these countries during the early years of the 1500s. The first recorded English voyage to the New World was in 1497 by a man named John Cabot. He, just like many of his fellow captains, joined the race to find a new pathway to Asia. He attempted a northwest passage to find Cathay. After his death, his son, Sebastian Cabot, continued these explorations. These would be the voyages that would e