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Henry Hudson claims New York harbor for the Dutch
This was not the first exploration of the area, but it was the first attempt by a European country to claim the area that is now Manhattan. This was the first European activity in what is now New York. -
Dutch settlement begins around areas that Hudson explored
By 1614, Dutch traders had established a outpost at Fort Orange, near present-day Albany. Other isolated trading villages were also beginning to pop up too, as Dutch traders were starting to see Indians as good trading partners. This was the first European settlement in that area. -
New Netherland is created
In 1624, The Netherlands formally recognized New Netherland as a province of the republic. New Netherland took up area from present-day Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and a small piece of Connecticut. -
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The region of New Netherland lies in Dutch hands
New Netherland, which encompasses present-day New York, New Jersey and Delaware, belongs to the Dutch from 1624 to 1664. It always remained peripheral to the far-flung Dutch empire. -
Large estates are beginning to be given to patroons
The Dutch West India Company, who controlled a monopoly of Dutch trade with America, started to offer large estates to patroons (such as Rensselaer) ,shareholders who agreed to transport tenants for agricultural labor, in 1629. This action was designed to bring more colonists into New Netherland since the population was very low. -
Wilmington is settled by Dutch traders
This was the first Dutch settlement of the area of Delaware. The traders that settled Wilmington claimed they were Swedish so that they could circumvent the Dutch East India Company's monopoly on trade with America. -
Delaware becomes a part of New Netherland
New Netherland seized the trading post at Wilmington, Delaware in 1655. They made Delaware a part of the colony. -
New Jersey is created out of New York
In 1664, the section of New York colony between the Hudson River and Delaware Bay was split off and given to two proprietors. This section later became New Jersey. It was split off because New York became too large. -
New Netherland is seized by the British
The English took control over New Netherland in 1664 during an Anglo-Dutch War. English rule transformed a minor military base into an important imperial outpost and a thriving seaport. New York's European population, around 9,000 when the English assumed control, rose to 20,000 by 1685. -
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New Netherland lies in the hands of the British
In 1664, New Netherland was seized by the British and became the colony of New York. Britain controlled the colony up until the American Revolution. -
The colony of New York is created
The English colony of New York was created out of the former Dutch territory of New Netherland. -
James II takes control of New York
In 1664, the king granted his brother, the Duke of York (James II), the lands that were to become New York. He originally tried to rule without a representative assembly, but he was forced into it by the colonists. -
Pennsylvania is founded
Pennsylvania is founded in 1681 by William Penn, who was given a large land grant by the king. Penn, a devout Quaker, made Pennsylvania to be a very accepting colony. Pennsylvania had an elected assembly with a broad suffrage, religious liberty, and favoritism towards the growth of small farmers. -
Delaware becomes part of the Penn proprietorship
Delaware never was a separate colony, as it was a part of William Penn's land grant. It was known as the lower counties until gaining statehood after the War for Independence. -
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The Dominion of New England is established
The Dominion of New England combined Connecticut, Plymouth, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, and East and West Jersey into a super-colony ruled by Edmund Andros. This was a direct attempt to reduce colonial autonomy. In 1689, the colonies rebelled and destroyed the dominion, while reverting to their prior individual governments. -
Leisler takes control of New York
Jacob Leisler took control of New York after Edmund Andros was jailed and the dominion of New England fell apart. He was the leader of a rebel militia which divided the colony along ethnic and economic lines. -
Leisler's Rebellion
In May of 1689, prominent English colonists in New York complained to London that Leisler was a tryant. So, the king refused to accept Leisler's authority and dispatched a new governor, backed by troops. Many of Leisler's followers were imprisoned, and Leisler himself was hanged. -
Unicameral legislature in Pennsylvania
A new charter in 1701 elimated the governor's council in Pennsylvania and established the only one-house legislature in the colonies. This colonial assembly seized control of Pennsylvania from a series of governors representing the Penn family. -
New Jersey becomes its own royal colony
East Jersey and West Jersey merged in 1702 to form the royal colony of New Jersey. -
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Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a fervent religious revival movement in the 1720s through the 1740s. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were two of the most influential ministers during this time. -
Zenger's trial
John Peter Zenger, a German-born printer, was arrested in New York for criticizing the governor. In his trial on seditious libel charges, he was found not guilty. This showed that the idea of freedom of expression was started to form in the colonies. -
French and Indian War begins
The French and Indian War was a military conflict originally between the British colonies and the French. It began as a result of the claim by the Ohio Company to a huge parcel of land in the Ohio Valley. The French felt threatened and bolstered their precense in the area. War soon broke out.