In this episode of History in Decades, Jim Rand explores the opening decade of the 18th century (1700–1710). We examine the three biggest developments that mattered most for the future of what would become the United States.

• The death of Spain’s King Charles II triggers the War of the Spanish Succession, a global conflict that spilled into North America.
• In the American colonies (still seventy years from independence), Queen Anne’s War brings fierce fighting in the southeast and northeast, including the Deerfield Massacre and the capture of Port Royal in Acadia.
• Other major shifts, including Russia’s rise under Peter the Great and Britain’s Act of Union in 1707, set the stage for future power balances.

We also highlight key figures such as Benjamin Church, governors Dudley and Moore, and the birth o ...