1600-1700

  • Establishment of Jamestown

    Landed at Cape Henry in Virginia on April 26, 1607. Established Jamestown.
  • Anglo-Powhatan war

    The American Indian princess Pocahontas is taken hostage by Jamestown colonists in the first Anglo-Powhatan war
  • House of Burgesses

    The House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly in America, meets for the first time in Virginia. The first African slaves are brought to Jamestown.
  • Pilgrims and Mayflower

    The Pilgrims (or Pilgrim Fathers), a group of 102 English settlers, sail in the Mayflower to the new world
  • First Thanksgiving

    The Mayflower settlers in Plymouth offer thanksgiving for their first harvest, eating turkeys in a celebration shared by local Indians
  • Powhatan attack on Jamestown

    A sudden attack by Powhatan Indians, led by their chieftain Opechancanough against the English colony at Jamestown, results in the death of more than 300 settlers
  • Boston is Founded

    1630 - Puritans found the city of Boston.
  • Rhode Island Founded

    Rhode Island is founded by Roger Williams as a colony based on the principle of religious tolerance
  • Quakers Arrive

    The Quakers arrive in New England.
  • Navigation Act

    The first navigation act states that certain goods from the colonies can only be exported to England or to other colonies, not to foreign countries.
  • Gain New York

    English seize New Amsterdam (city and colony) from the Dutch and rename it New York.
  • King Philips War

    King Philip's War begins between the colonists in New England and a group of Native American tribes including the Wampanoag people.
  • Philadelphia Founded

    The city of Philadelphia is founded.
  • Salem Witch Trials

    The Salem witch trials begin in Massachusetts. Twenty people are executed for witchcraft.
  • King William's War ends

    King William's War ends with the Treaty of Ryswick.
  • Virginia Capital Moves

    The capital of Virginia moves from Jamestown to Williamsburg.