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England prepares to rule North America.
With England's intentions firmly set on expanding their domain to North America, the English prepared to set sail. -
The Death of Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth I passed away on March 24, 1603, at Richmond Palace in Surrey. It is theorized that the "spirits of Saturn" cosmetic mixture that Elizabeth employed to develop her strikingly pale appearance may have affected her health. No Englishmen have yet founded a permanent North American colony at the time of Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603. -
Treaty of London is signed / King James makes peace with Spain
The Treaty of London terminated the Anglo-Spanish War, which had lasted for twenty years. At Somerset House in London, the discussions took place and are sometimes referred to as the Somerset House Conference.
After inheriting war from his predecessor, Philip II, Philip III of Spain enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity and ordered the arduous talks that followed to begin. -
The English builds Jamestown
A group of Englishmen—piloting three ships—called the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, all left port in James City County in the state of Virginia in April of 1607 and proceeded north forty miles up the James River (named for King James). The founders of the United States chose an uninhabited peninsula located away from Spanish patrols. Jamestown is the first permanent English colony in the present-day United States. -
Samuel de Champlain establishes Quebec
Under the leadership of Samuel de Champlain, Quebec provided the foothold for what would become New France. French fur traders placed a higher value on cooperating with Indigenous people than on establishing a successful French colonial footprint. Asserting dominance in the region could have been to their own detriment, as it might have compromised their access to skilled Native American trappers, and therefore wealth. -
Europe establishes Santa Fe
Santa Fe was the first permanent European settlement in the Southwest. Few Spaniards relocated to the Southwest because of the distance from Mexico City and the dry and hostile environment. Thus, the Spanish never achieved a commanding presence in the region. -
John Rolfe marries Pocahontas
After the colony was reorganized, the marriage of John Rolfe and Pocahontas (daughter of Powhatan) eased relations with the Powhatan, though the colony still limped along as a starving, commercially disastrous tragedy. -
The Death of Powhatan
Powhatan was the leader and ruler of the Powhatan Confederacy who controlled most of the tribes in the Chesapeake region. Powhatan died and was succeeded by his brother, Opechancanough, who promised to drive the land-hungry colonists back into the sea. (American YAWP states that Powhatan died in 1622 but further research states that he died in 1618). -
Virginia Company establishes the House of Burgesses
In April, 1619, Governor George Yeardley arrived in Virginia from England and announced that the Virginia Company had voted to abolish martial law and create a legislative assembly, known as the General Assembly, the first legislative assembly in the American colonies. The House of Burgesses is a limited representative body composed of white landowners that first met in Jamestown. That same year, a Dutch slave ship sold twenty Africans to the Virginia colonists. Southern slavery was born. -
First African slaves arrive in Virginia
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The Pilgrims discover the Plymouth Colony
America's first permanent Puritan settlement, was established by English Separatist Puritans -
The Mayflower Compact is signed
Mayflower Compact, document signed on the English ship Mayflower on November 21, 1620 prior to its landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was the first framework of government written and enacted in the territory that is now the United States of America. -
Jamestown Massacre
After the death of his brother Powhatan, Opechancanough promised to drive the land-hungry colonists back into the sea. He launched a surprise attack and in a single day (March 22, 1622) killed over 350 colonists, or one third of all the colonists in Virginia.26 The colonists retaliated and revisited the massacres on Indigenous settlements many times over. The massacre freed the colonists to drive Native Americans off their land. -
The first permanent Dutch settlement is established
New Netherland area formally recognized as a province was granted in June of 1623. The company began organizing the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland. -
The Dutch West India Company forms New Amsterdam
Compared to other Dutch colonies around the globe, the settlements on the Hudson River were relatively minor. In order to secure its fur trade in the area, it needed to establish a greater presence in New Netherland. Toward this end, the company formed New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island.
(The American YAWP states that New Amsterdam was formed in 1625, however further research claims it was established in 1624). -
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The ruling of King Charles I causes friction between England
Conflict erupted in 1640 when a Parliament called by Charles refused to grant him subsidies to suppress a rebellion in Scotland. The Irish rebelled the following year, and by 1642 strained relations between Charles and Parliament led to civil war in England. -
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The Puritan Revolution
During the republic, Puritans were the respectable pillars of local society. Puritans supporting Cromwell's dictatorship had hoped for a remaking of common folk. They were opposed to idleness and disorderly conduct and favored instead the conduct of people of "credit and reputation." -
King Charles I is executed
In 1648, Charles was forced to appear before a high court controlled by his enemies, where he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. Early in the next year, he was beheaded. -
The Staple Act of 1663
This act was crafted by King Charles II, English merchants and manufactures, and enacted by the English Parliament. altered preexisting regulations so that any goods picked up in foreign ports had to be taken back to England, unloaded, inspected, paid for in duties, and repacked for shipment to the colonies. This greatly increased the prices paid by colonial consumers. -
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The Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called “The Revolution of 1688” and “The Bloodless Revolution,” took place from 1688 to 1689 in England. It involved the overthrow of the Catholic king James II, who was replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange. -
The English Bill of Rights are established
The English Bill of Rights created a constitutional monarchy in England, meaning the king or queen acts as head of state but his or her powers are limited by law. Under this system, the monarchy couldn't rule without the consent of Parliament, and the people were given individual rights. As part of King William’s War and rejoiced in Parliament’s 1689 passage of a Bill of Rights, which curtailed the power of the monarchy and cemented Protestantism in England. -
The Salem Witch Trials
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the Devil's magic—and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. -
Parliament wins the second English Civil War
In 1649 Parliament won and England became a republic and protectorate under Oliver Cromwell. These changes redefined England’s relationship with its American colonies, as the new government under Cromwell attempted to consolidate its hold over its overseas territories.