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On route to the Indies, Christopher Columbus lands in the Bahama Islands. It was then learned afterwards that reaching Asia would take longer, as the Americas were in the way of that side of the world.
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Spain and Portugal signed this document to determine what land belonged to who in the New World. Spain gained most of America, while Portugal was given Brazil and parts of Africa and Asia.
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Juan Ponce de Leon sailed to Florida, which some believe was in search of the Fountain of Youth, while some believe it was for gold.
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Vasco Nunez Balboa sailed to the Ithsmus of Panama, discovering the Pacific Ocean, and declaring all that the waters touched wasb Spain's
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Hernan Cortes and his men land in Mexico, conquering the Aztecs that stood in their way.
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Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas of Peru for Spain.
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Hernando de Soto, along with 600 soldiers, crossed the Mississippi River westward in search of gold.
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Francisco Coronado and his men ventured through Southwestern America, including Arizona and New Mexico. The expedition lasted two years.
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Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explores the Californian coast for Portugal
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The Spanish, while in Florida, build a fortress in Saint Augustine, establishing the first American city.
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James I of England signs The Virginia Company of London, giving the shareholders a a charter in America
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Around 100 English settlers establish Jamestown, named for King James I.
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Though the land had been explored prior, the Spanish founded New Mexico in 1609, a year after Santa Fe.
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John Rolfe learns how to plant tobacco from the Powhatan Indians, and perfected it to be grown in Virginia. Rolfe later married the Powhatan Pocahontas.
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Lord de la Warr's men attacked the Powhattans and stole supplies; The war lasted unil 1614, when peace was brought through John Rolfe's marriage to Pocahontas.
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Lord Baltimore founds Maryland as a safe haven for Catholics
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The Powhatans started another war with the English in 1644, but it had ended by 1646, after many of the Powhatans had fallen to diseases,
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Charles II, the son of dethroned king Charles I, took the throne from Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Unlike the Puritan Cromwell, Charles II was an Anglican.
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The Barbados Slave Code was passed, making great threats to slaves, and severely punishing those who disobeyed it.
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The Carolina colony, named for Charles II, is founded. It later broke off into its Northern and Southern divisions.
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King William's War, known as the Nine Year's War worldwide, is fought between New France and New England, along with Native American allies on both sides.
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Queen Anne's War began shortly after the end of King William's War, being fought between France and Great Britain again, this time with the Spanish as France's allies.
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The Treaty of Utrecht, signed in Belgium, ended Queen Anne's War. It also gave Acadia to France, and gave England trade in the Carribean.
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New Orleans is founded by the French to be used as a major port.
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The War of Jenkin's Ear, named for the severing of Robert Jenkin's ear, is fought between Great Britain and Spain. The war eventually led to the War of the Austrian Succession.
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King George's War, or the War of Austrian Succession, began after the War of Jenkin's Ear, eventually giving Lousiburg back to France
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The Albany Congress was formed as a meeting of representatives from the colonies, to reach peace with Indians, and improve other problems at the time.
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The French and Indian War formally came to an end, with the British emerging victorious.
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The Sugar Act was passed, being one of many Acts that pushed Americans towards revolution
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The Stamp Act was a tax on stamps and stamped documents. It was another cause of the revolution, angering many colonists.
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The Quartering Act required colonists to provided food and housing to any British troops who needed it. Many troops were ungrateful of it, angering the colonists.
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Representatives met in New York City, against the taxation from their mother country.
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The Stamp Act was repealed, but was replaced by the Declatory Act. This stated that the King had the final say, and the colonies were bound by England
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The Townshend Acts, named for "Champagne Charley" Townshend, taxed imports on glass, tea, lead, paper, and paint.
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The Boston Massacre led to the killing of five colonists, including Crispus Attucks, all being killed by British soldiers occupying the area.
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The committees were formed and used for revolutionists to share ideas and plan the revolution.
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In the Boston Tea Party, revolutionists disguised as Indians dumped crates of valuable tea into the Boston Harbor. This was a critical moment leading up to the revolution.
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The Intolerable Acts were put forth by Parliament and Lord North as a punishment to Boston after the Tea Party. Most notable of these was the Boston Port Act, closing all harbors in Boston.
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The Quebec Act was not one of the Intolerable Acts, as it is often confused as. It ensured that the French could have their Catholic faith, and it increased the land that Quebec held, yet it still angered the colonists, much like the Intolerable Acts.
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The Continental Congress was formed as a response to the Intolerable Acts after they were passed. It was one of the next important moments leading up to the revolution.
