The document summarizes how England became the dominant colonial power in America. It discusses how the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther caused a split from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry VIII further split England from the Catholic Church by divorcing his wife and declaring himself the head of the new Church of England. This caused tensions between Catholic Spain and Protestant England. England's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 weakened Spain's power in America and allowed England to become a powerful colonial force.