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Roanoke
Roanoke was the first English settlement and was founded by Walter Raleigh. The first group didn't fare well; they had low food supplies and were constantly getting attacked by native tribes. They returned to England just a year later in 1586. In 1587 after returning with a new group, John white left to get supplies from England. Upon his return in 1590, everyone was gone. The only clue to where they were was the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree. https://www.history.com/roanoke-colony-deserted -
Jamestown
The Virginia Company of London established a colony along the coast of Virginia. The settlers arrived at a very rough time with few supplies and little knowledge of the area; only 38 of the starting 150 survived the first winter. John Smith emerged as the colonies leader and declared that those who didn't work, didn't eat. This motivated settlers to start farming and producing food to eat. In 1612, John Rolfe started experimenting with tobacco, making that their cash crop. notes. -
House of Burgesses
In 1619, the first legislature of elected representatives in North America was established. The first meeting was in a church in Jamestown, Virginia. In 1624, after falling into debt, the Virginia Company's charter was revoked and Virginia became a royal colony under King James I. notes. -
Great Migration
In 1620, a group of puritans left England to avoid the religious persecution they faced. They went to Holland where they made a deal with the Plymouth company that in exchange for paying for their voyage to America, they would give them furs and gold. In September of 1620, they set off on the Mayflower and landed in Massachusetts where they started the first colony in New England. This started to Great Puritan Migration.https://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-great-puritan-migration/ -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was signed by the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620 before they settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This document was the first framework of the American government. After traveling on rough seas, they decided to sign a compact saying that they would abide by any laws set for the god of the community. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mayflower-Compact -
New York Colony
In 1624, the Dutch settled along the Hudson River, and two years after that they established New Amsterdam. England took over this town and renamed it New York in 1664. New York was one of the 13 colonies and played a large political and strategic role in the American Revolution. https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-york -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was one of the first settlements in present day Massachusetts, and was settled by a group of about 1,000 Puritans. The grant that they got from King Charles I was interestingly similar to the one that the Virginia company received in 1609, with the patentees being a part in the government and companies. However, the patentees decided to transfer the power to Massachusetts itself. https://www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts-Bay-Colony -
Maryland Colony
In 1632, King Charles granted a charter for George Calvert to yield proprietary rights to the new world. After settlement, the religious conflict was strong between the American puritans and English puritans. Governor William Stone responded to this by granting an act that ensured religions liberty to all that believed in Jesus. This led to puritans taking over the colony ending with Lord Baltimore losing control of Mary land. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-settlement-of-marylan -
Rhode Island
The colony of Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams. He founded the colony after being kicked out of the Massachusetts colony for advocating for separation of church and state. While it was a colony it was a center for trade and shipping goods and was the forefront for the industrial revolution. https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/rhode-island -
Connecticut Colony
In 1636, Thomas Hooker, a priest in the Massachusetts colony took his family and some others and built the town Hartford. This settlement would be the center of Connecticut religious practices. In 1639, the Connecticut citizens enacted the first written constitution in the western hemisphere. https://www.ushistory.org/us/3f.asp -
Maryland Toleration Act
The Maryland Toleration Act, also known as the Act Concerning Religions, was a law that mandated the toleration of religions for the Trinitarian Christians. It allowed freedom of worship but put to death anyone that denied the divinity of Jesus. This was the second law requiring religious tolerance in the British North American Colonies. This helped create legal protections for the freedom of religion in the United States. https://www.americanhistoryusa.com/topic/maryland-toleration-act/ -
Colony of Carolina
In 1663, King Charles II gave a group of 8 noblemen a large piece of land in the Virginia colony. After unsuccessful attempts to get settlers in the new world to move to this new colony, the noblemen sent out three ships to the colony and within two years it was settled. The terrain was swampy and many early settlers got malaria. In 1712, the colony of Carolina split into present day North and South Carolina. https://www.ushistory.org/us/5c.asp -
Bacon's Rebellion
After moving to Virginia, Nathaniel Bacon realized how unfair the governors were to the people. He gathered up a militia and began slaughtering Indians. He soon was declared a rebel which made him more upset. In 1676, after gathering some 500 men, his militia attacked Jamestown, burning it to the ground and terrorizing whatever was left. After bacon died, the rebels disbanded and were defeated by the English naval squadron. https://www.history.com/news/bacons-rebellion-jamestown-colonial-america -
Colony of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania was a royal colony founded under a charter given to William Penn as a place for Quakers to settle. This charter was settled in 1681 as a way for King Charles to repay Penn's family as he owed them money. While the Quakers were the majority of the settlers, the colony seemed to attract many different types of people with ended with Penn's proprietary rights being suspended for a short amount of time before they were given back. https://www.historycentral.com/TheColonies/PA.html -
Salutary Neglect
The British Policy of Salutary Neglect was a policy that allowed colonists to violate the laws of trade. The policy lasted 70 years and went undocumented until the very end. Britain eventually reversed the policy when they needed to pay the massive war debts from the French-Indian war. The reversing of the policy led to the Boston Tea Party, American Revolution, and the Declaration of Independence. https://www.britannica.com/topic/salutary-neglect -
Salem Witch Trials
The witch trials began in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 after a group of young girls claimed they were possessed by the devil and accused several women of witch craft. The first convicted witch was hung in June, 1962 and some 150 others were accused and hung in the following months. By September 1692, opinions on the trial switched, yet bitterness was still throughout the community towards those convicted. https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. On July 10, 1754 representatives from 7 of the British colonies met up to propose a collective government. They saw this as a perfect way to make preparations for the upcoming French- Indian war and solve land disputes with the Indians and colonies. However, the colonial governments feared they'd lose power so they didn't support the Albany Plan. https://history.state.gov// -
French-Indian war
The French-Indian War, also known as the seven years war, lasted from 1756-1763. This was the beginning of hostilities between England and France in the Americas as both were battling over colonial domination in the Americas. https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/frin.html -
Great Awakening/Enlightenment
In 1760, a great spiritual revival went through the British American colonies. Pastors would hold sermons to convert unbelievers to the faith, often time scaring them into the faith. So many Americans had been "awakened" that pastors started to set up religious schools and more churches. The Great Awakening was the first thing that all the colonies would share as one. https://www.ushistory.org/us/7b.asp -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by the British at the end of the French and Indian War as a way to please the Natives for the English settlers on their lands. This created the proclamation line, a boundary that separated the English on the east coast from the Natives to the west of the Appalachian mountains. This protected both the Natives and English settlers from attacks from opposite groups. This also established Quebec, west Florida and east Florida.https://www.history.com/proclimationac
