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Settlement of Roanoke Island
Queen Elizabeth of England allowed Walter Raleigh to send over 100 men from England to a island called Roanoke. England had watched other European countries gain riches from their new colonies in the Americas and Raleigh wanted to do the same for England. -
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Establishment of Early Colonies
Settlers came to the New World in search of a better life. When the early colonies established new governments, many of these settlers did not agree with the way things were run. As a result, several settlers went off to create their own colonies and own governments in the New World. -
The Lost Colony
Walter Raleigh decided to hire Simon Fernandez to check on Roanoke. When the men got there the Roanoke members had been killed and the word CROATOAN was written on a nearby tree. Croatoan was a local tribe. -
The Jamestown Colony
After the failure of Roanoke, England tried again to establish a colony in the New World. A group of over 100 men landed on the James River and established a colony named Jamestown. -
Captain Smith Returns to England
Captain John Smith, one of the leaders at Jamestown, has to return to England due to a gunpowder injury which made him ill. -
The House of Burgessess is Created
The House of Burgessess is created to keep order at Jamestown. The House of Burgessess marked the beginning of representative government in the English colonies. -
The Mayflower
Pilgrims who wanted to get away from the church of England (Catholics) set sail on the Mayflower hoping for religious freedom. They signed the Mayflower Compact which was an agreement on how to govern their colony. -
The First Thanksgiving
After the first successful harvest, Governor William Bradford held a celebration feast. They invited some nearby Indians who had helped them plant the food for the harvest. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Puritans formed Massachusetts Bay colony which later became Maine. Puritans did not want to separate from the Church of England, instead, they wanted to reform the church by introducing simpler forms of worship. -
Connecticut is Founded
Connecticut was founded as a colony with strict limits on government power. Thomas Hooker founded Connecticut because he believed the governor and other officials had too much power in Massachusetts Bay. -
Rhode Island is Founded
Roger Williams founded Rhode Island because he felt the Puritan church in Massachusetts had too much power. In his view, business of church and state should be completely separate.
