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Period: 1492 to
Coming to America
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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus lands at Hispinola in the Caribbean
Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Caribbean in 1492 marked the beginning of contact between Europeans and Native Americans.This event marked the start of the Age of exploration where explorers form all over started to travel around the world to find new lands. -
Jan 12, 1513
Balboa discovers the pacific ocean in Panama
Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World. -
Aug 13, 1521
Cortez conquers the Aztecs at Tenochtitlan
When the Europeans first arrived, millions of Native Americans were living on the land, in small villages and in large cities such as the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, the site of present day Mexico City -
1539
De Soto explores the region between Florida and the Mississippi River
Hernando de Soto Seeking greater glory and riches, de Soto embarked on a major expedition in 1538 to conquer Florida for the Spanish crown. -
1541
De Soto explores the region between Florida and the Mississippi River
De Soto Seeking greater glory and riches, de Soto embarked on a major expedition in 1538 to conquer Florida for the Spanish crown. -
First permanent English is Founded Jamestown,Virgina
Although the English were not the first Europeans to explore or colonize North America, their settlements along the Eastern seaboard became the thirteen colonies that later formed the United States. England relied on private trading companies to establish a presence in North America. -
Mayflower Pilgrams found Plymouth colony in Massachusetts
Those who settled in New England were Puritans, Protestant reformers who wanted to “purify” the Church of England. Their efforts met with little success, and some Puritans wanted to separate completely from the English Church. Among them was William Bradford, who helped organize the voyage of the Mayflower, bringing nearly a hundred people to Massachusetts in 1620. -
English settlement defeat Native Americans in King Philip's war
William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation records the early years of the Plymouth colony and its relations with the Indians. Bradford and other Puritan writers were motivated by their beliefs about their role in God’s plan. Their writings included historical narratives, sermons, and poems written in a generally plain style. -
France claims the Mississippi River Valley and Names it Louisiana
After early fishing expeditions beginning in the 1520s, France established settlements along the St. Lawrence River in eastern Canada in the early 1600s. French settlers were far fewer than English or Spanish settlers in the Americas.
