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Virginia Company Created
Chartered by King James I, the Virginia Company was founded. Its mission was to profit via trade, and needed a navigable river, which unfortunately was not found. -
Jamestown Established
The first permanent English settlement, Jamestown, was established. It was originally created to seek profit via trade, but this colony nearly collapsed due to very poor work ethic and weather conditions. The Powhatan were able to help the settlers through the tough time, and although the settlers were barely able to recover, Jamestown was eventually burned down. -
Henry Hudson Commissioned
Henry Hudson was commissioned by the Dutch to discover a passage through North America. He had partial success, instead discovering the Hudson River, which instead flowed north to south instead of east to west. -
Santa Fe Established
Santa Fe, the first Spanish permanent settlement, was established by the Spanish Empire. -
House of Burgesses Created
The House of Burgesses, a representative body of those initially from Jamestown, was created. This was a bicameral legislature, and included future leaders of the United States like Thomas Jefferson. -
Pequot War
As Puritans were allied with opposing tribes, a Puritan contingent across multiple states killed many of the Pequot natives. As a result, the Puritans' allies, the Mohegan natives, gained a better social position. This obviously worsened relations with other native tribes. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was Nathaniel Bacon's attempted revolt against Sir William Berkeley, as the two had very different ideas on how to treat or combat the indigenous peoples. The rebellion started in 1676, but lasted until the following year. -
Two Treatises of Government Published
Philosopher John Locke anonymously releases "Two Treatises of Government", a work which would form the foundation for much of early American government.