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1492
Columbus' four voyages
Columbus' voyages (1492-1504) to the New World sparked the Spanish colonization in the Americas and convulsed four continents- Europe, the two Americas, and Africa. This would change the lives of the colonists and the natives lives, for better and for worse. -
1521
Cortes conquers the Aztecs (1519-1521)
After landing in Mexico in 1519, Cortes began a siege against the Aztecs, destroying their empire, and by 1521, captured the ruler of Tenochtitlan. The native population of Mexico shrank from 20 million to 2 million because of this. -
Roanaoke Island colony fails (1585-87)
This was one of the first attempts of English colonization. The expedition landed in 1585 in North Carolina, but after many false starts, the colony mysteriously vanished. This was embarrassing for the English, considering all the Spanish conquests. -
Jamestown, Virginia founded (1607)
In 1606, colonists landed near the Chesapeake Bay, where Indians attacked them. Up against the bay, the colonists chose a location on the banks of the James River and called it Jamestown. -
First Africans arrive in Virginia (1619)
In 1619, Dutch warship appeared off Jamestown and sold about twenty Africans. This commercial transaction planted the seed for the North American slave system. -
Virginia House of Burgesses formed (1619)
Representative self-government was also born in primitive Virginia. The Virginia Company authorized the settlers to summon an assembly, known as the House of Burgesses. This Assembly would be the first of many parliaments to flourish in America. . -
Pilgrims found Plymouth, MA (1620)
The colonists who sailed on the Mayflower missed their destination and arrived off the stony coast of New England in 1620. Because they settled on land that was outside the domain of the Virginia Company, the colonists were without legal right to land and specific authority to establish a government. Consequently, the settlers would have to become squatters. -
Puritan migration to Massachusetts (1630)
During the Great Migration, about seventy refugees left England, but only twenty thousand came to Massachusetts. These people migrated into the Massachusetts Bay Colony, many of which were fairly prosperous and well-educated. This colony rapidly became the biggest and most influential of the New England outposts. -
Calverts found Maryland (1634)
Lord Baltimore, who came from a prominent English family, founded Maryland in 1634. He embarked upon the venture to reap financial profits and partly to create a refuge for fellow Catholics. This colony would later become a prosperous land for producing tobacco. -
Pequot Indian War, Maryland (1635-37)
As more English settlers began to arrive, confrontations among the Indians and colonists ended peaceful relations. Hostilities exploded in 1637 among the natives and settlers. English militiamen besieged the Pequot tribe, utterly annihilating them, causing four decades of uneasy peace among the Indians. -
Anne Hutchinson convicted of heresy (1638)
Anne Hutchinson carried took the idea of predestination to an extreme. She claimed that a holy life was not a sure sign of salvation and that the truly saved do not have to obey the law of God or man. She claimed to have received this from God himself, a higher heresy. Consequently, she and her family were banished, lest they pollute the Puritan experiment entirely. -
Fundemental Orders of Connecticut (1639)
In 1639, settlers of the new Connecticut River colony drafted in an open meeting a trailblazing document known as the Fundamental Orders. Essentially, it was a modern constitution, which established a regime democratically controlled by substantial citizens. This would ultimately be a basis for state constitution. -
English Civil War (1642- 48)
In 1643, four colonies banded together to form the New England Confederation. The Parliamentarians and the Royalists fought over the way in which England would govern their colonies. -
First Navigation Act (1651)
Navigation Laws sought to stitch England's overseas possessions by throttling American trade with countries not ruled by English crown. Basically, these laws were created to prevent illegal acts like smuggling. -
The English Conquer New Netherlands--->NY (1664)
New Netherland was already full of English immigrants when the Dutch landed. But when the Dutch reached the Hudson, the English fired against the intruders and the English won, naming the state New York. This colony would soon grow immensely just like other founding colonies. -
King Philip's (Metacomet) War, MA (1675-76)
King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–78 between Indian inhabitants of the New England region of North America versus New England colonists and their Indian allies. -
Bacon's Rebellion (1676)
Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. Bacon had ignited resentments among the impoverished and tensions remained. -
Pennsylvania settled (1682)
In 1681, William Penn was able to secure from the king an immense grant of fertile land, in consideration of a monetary debt owed to his deceased father by the crown. In that same year, he formally launched the colony and it became one of the most attractive colonies. -
English Glorious Revolution and Bill of Rights ( 1688-89)
The English Bill of Rights was an agreement signed by William and Mary to respect the rights of English citizens and of Parliament.The Glorious Revolution was the overthrow of English King James II in 1688, his replacement was William III and Mary II. -
Massachusetts becomes a royal colony (1691)
The company and the colony were synonymous until 1684, when the charter was withdrawn, and the company ceased to exist. In 1691 a new charter made Massachusetts a royal colony and extended its jurisdiction over Plymouth and Maine. -
Salem witch hunts (1692)
A group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts, claimed to have been bewitched by certain older women. The colonists went on these hunts to find these women, nineteen of whom were hanged and one whom was pressed to death. This time potentially would've ruined the Puritan experiment, if trials had not been stopped in 1693. -
Queen Anne's War (1707)
Queen Anne's War (1702–13) was the second in a series of four French and Indian Wars fought between France and England (later Great Britain). in North America for control of the continent and was the counterpart of the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe. In addition to the two main combatants, the war also involved a number of American Indian tribes and Spain, which was allied with France. -
England, Wales, and Scotland unite into the U.K. (1707)
The Acts of Union were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on 22 July 1706, following negotiation between commissioners representing the parliaments of the two countries. Under this, they would become the nation known as the United Kingdom. -
George I's reign (1714-1727)
Under George I's rule, Navigation Laws were laxly enforced from 1714-1727. -
Georgia founded (1733)
The colony of Georgia also created a buffer between the rest of the colonies and Spain. In 1733, James Oglethorpe founded Georgia. Georgia was founded for people in debt in England to have a place to start over. -
John Peter Zenger trial (1735)
The case inspired the entire city and helped to further the cause for freedom that led to revolution, forty years later. The John Peter Zenger trial would lead the way for the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, the amendment that states the five freedoms. -
Stono rebellion, NC (1739)
The Stono Rebellion was a slave rebellion that began on 9 September 1739, in the colony of South Carolina. It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies, with 42-47 whites and 44 blacks killed. This would be the first of many uprisings among blacks and whites where many were killed. -
First Great Awakening (1734-41)
In all colonial churches, religion was less fervid in the early eighteenth century. Liberal ideas began to challenge old-time religion. So, the Great Awakening was the stage set for rousing religious revival. -
King George's War (1744-48)
King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia. -
Albany Congress (1754)
Albany Congress, conference in U.S. colonial history (June 19–July 11, 1754) at Albany, New York, that advocated a union of the British colonies in North America for their security and defense against the French, foreshadowing their later unification. -
George II's reign (1727-60)
Under George II's reign, Georgia was founded, King George's War occurred, and Seven Year's War took place. The Seven Years War was a Global war that affected how the U.S. interacted with other countries for years.