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1607, Jamestown
Founded in 1607, Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement. It was founded by the London Company. -
1608, Refracting Teloscope
Hans Lippershey invents the first refracting telescope in 1608. -
1609, New Netherlands
In 1609, the Dutch wanted to find a river that passed through all of North America. Instead, they ended up in what is now known as New York. They called it New Netherlands. -
1616, Tobacco
In 1616, John Rolfe planted the first tobacco. This crop saved Jamestown, as it brought in lots of money. -
1619, The House of Burgesses
The house of Burgesses was formed by white land owners and consisted of elected representatives. -
1619, Southern Slavery
In 1619, A dutch ship brought and sold 20 Africans to the Americans as slaves. -
1620, Plymouth Colony
In 1620, the first permanent puritan colony was formed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. -
1622-1640, the great migration of the Puritans
Puritans were faceing religious persecution in England, so they decided to leave. Between the years of 1622 and 1640, about 20,000 puritans moved to America, more specifically Massachusetts. -
1622, Native American conflict
Powhatan died in 1622, and was replaced by Opechancanough, who wanted to get rid of the ever expanding colony. He launched a surprise attack on the colonists in a single day, killing over 350 colonists. This allowed the colonists to retaliate and drive the Natives off of their land. -
1630, Massachusetts Bay Colony
In 1630, Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by about 1,000 puritan refugees under the leadership of John Winthrop. -
1636, Connecticut Colony
In 1636, Connecticut Colony was founded under the leadership of Thomas Hooker. -
1636, Rhode Island Colony
In 1636, Rhode Island Colony was founded by Roger Williams, who had been kicked out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. -
Pequot War (1636–1637)
The Pequot War was fought between the Pequot tribe and the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook. The cause of the war was wanting to control trade. The colonists used this war to enslave native Americans. They thought it more merciful than killing them outright. -
Governor Kieft’s War (1641–1645)
Governor Kieft’s War was fought between the dutch and the Wappinger tribe. Governor Kieft ordered an attack on the tribe without permission and against the colony's wishes. The result was the massacure and enslavement of many Native Americans. He was recalled for this. -
1660, The First Bible
In 1660, Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson printed out the first bible in North America. That same year, the Eliot Bible was published. It was written in the Natick dialect of the local Algonquin tribes. -
1662, Virginian Law
A Virginian Law was passed that made it where an enslaved woman's children inherited slavery from their mother. Other states soon followed. -
King Philip’s War (1675–1676)
This war was the Natives last effort to stop Engish colinization. In June of 1675, Phillip, the Wapoanoag tribes leader, led a series of raids on the English colony Swansea. The English responded by sending their military to destroy the tribe. On September 9, war was declared. Phillip was killed on August 20, 1676. Many Natives were enslaved. -
1690, Paper Bills
In 1690, Massachusetts became the first colony to produce and use paper money. -
1692, Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch trials were a dark time. A few young girls began experiencing illness, and when asked, they accused their neighbors of witchcraft. Soon, the whole town was paranoid and accusing one another to save themselves. A court was formed, and 20 people were killed by the court. Another 5 died in prison.