Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh, 1584

On 25 March 1584 Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618) to search and discover "remote, heathen and barbarous lands, not actually possessed of any Christian prince or people”, and to “take possession of them” in the name of the Queen."

With this document began the first determined endeavor by the British Crown to colonize the North American continent. It is specially formatted for e-readers.