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The first permanent English settlement in North America is established in Virginia.
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The first enslaved Africans are brought to the English colonies in Virginia.
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Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sign the Mayflower Compact, establishing a form of self-governance in Plymouth Colony.
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A wave of Puritan settlers arrives in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, seeking religious freedom and establishing communities in New England.
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The English establish the Carolina colony, which later splits into North and South Carolina, with both regions relying heavily on slave labor.
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A rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon in Virginia highlights social and economic tensions among English settlers and the Native American population.
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William Penn establishes Pennsylvania as a haven for religious freedom and attracts a diverse group of settlers.
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South Carolina enacts a comprehensive slave code, codifying the legal framework for the institution of slavery in the colony.
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A series of witchcraft trials in Massachusetts result in the execution of 20 people, highlighting the religious and social tensions of the time.
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A religious revival movement, known as the Great Awakening, sweeps through the American colonies, impacting religious and social life.