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Southern Colonies
Settlers in the Southern colonies came to America to seek economic prosperity they could not find in Old England. Their economy was based on growing cash crops such as tobacco and rice. To meet the increasing labor demands of the cash crop plantations, many farmers, merchants, and planters relied on indentured servants. -
House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses is important because it was the first democratically-elected legislative body in the New World. -
New England colonies
The New England colonies (Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire) were founded to escape religious persecution in England. Their society is centered on trade and Boston was the colonies' major port city. Overall, they depended on fishing, lumbering, and subsistence farming. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was a document signed on the English ship Mayflower by a group of pilgrims. This document is very significant because it was the first instance of established self-government in the New World. -
Anne Hutchinson Banishment
Anne Hutchinson discussed her own interpretation of the church's teachings. As she strayed away from the strict puritan view of Christianity, many of the colonial leaders thought of her as a threat to their authority. Thus, on March 22nd, 1638, she was banished from the Massachusetts Bay colony. -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
A document that established a representative government in Connecticut. It includes a legislature elected by a popular vote and a governor elected by the legislature. The fundamental orders is usually considered the first written constitution in North America. -
The Age of Salutary Neglect
British Treatment of the colonies during the period preceding the French and Indian War is often described as salutary neglect. -
Navigation Acts
In order to guarantee a favorable balance of trade, the British government encouraged manufacturing in England and placed protective tariffs on imports that might compete with English goods. The navigation acts required colonists to buy and sell goods only from England. The passage of the Navigation Acts thus contributed to rising anti-British sentiment and the eventual outbreak of the American Revolution. -
Halfway Covenant
A group of ministers in Boston came up with a compromise known as the Halfway Covenant, allowing colonists to become partial church members even if they had not had a religious conversion experience. -
Middle Colonies
The Middle colonies (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware) were also called the “Breadbasket colonies” because of their fertile soil, ideal for farming. They also featured mixed economies, including farming and merchant shipping. The Middle colonies attracted a diverse group of European migrants. -
King William's War
The beginning of King William's War as hostilities in Europe between the French and English spill over to the colonies. In February, Schenectady, New York is burned by the French with the aid of their Native American allies. -
Salem Witch Trials
In May, hysteria grips the village of Salem, Massachusetts, as witchcraft suspects are arrested and imprisoned. -
Wool Act
The wool act forbade both the export of wool from the American colonies and the importation of wool from other British colonies. -
Tea and a King
Tea is introduced for the first time into the American Colonies. In August, King George I ascends to the English throne, succeeding Queen Anne. -
Molasses Act
The Molasses Act, passed by the English Parliament, imposes heavy duties on molasses, rum, and sugar imported from non-British islands in the Caribbean to protect the English planters there from French and Dutch competition. -
England's War on Spain
England declares war on Spain. As a result, in America, hostilities break out between Florida Spaniards and Georgia and South Carolina colonists. Also in 1739, three separate violent uprisings by black slaves occur in South Carolina. -
The Iron Act
The Iron Act is passed by the English Parliament, limiting the growth of the iron industry in the American colonies to protect the English Iron industry. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War erupts as a result of disputes over land in the Ohio River Valley. -
William Pitt Secretary of State
In June, William Pitt becomes England's Secretary of State and escalates the French and Indian War in the colonies by establishing a policy of unlimited warfare. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763, signed by King George III of England, prohibits any English settlement west of the Appalachian mountains and requires those already settled in those regions to return east in an attempt to ease tensions with Native Americans. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act is passed by the English Parliament to offset the war debt brought on by the French and Indian War and to help pay for the expenses of running the colonies and newly acquired territories. This act increases the duties on imported sugar and other items such as textiles, coffee, wines and indigo (dye). It doubles the duties on foreign goods reshipped from England to the colonies and also forbids the import of foreign rum and French wines.