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Period: Jan 1, 1490 to
Sequence of events that followed Columbus's exploration of the Carribbean
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Oct 12, 1492
Christopoher Columbus reaches the Americas
In 1492, an explorer, Christopher Columbus, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain. With him, he brought many people to start the first colony in America. -
Oct 13, 1512
Spainish take the first African slaves to Hispaniola
Spanish take the first African slaves to Hispanola in 1512. The natives were dying from disease and too much work, but they needed the slaves, so the Spanish decided to take Africans instead of the Native Americans as slaves. -
Oct 13, 1519
Cortes arrives in Tenochtitlan
In 1519, Spainish explorer, Hernando Cortes and his crew, arrived in Tenochititlan. When Cortes arrived, Moctezuma, the leader of the Aztecs, allowed Cortes to stay in Tenochitilan. Within not even a year, the Aztecs threw Cortes out of their city. Cortes eventually returned with allies. -
Oct 13, 1521
Cortes defeats the Aztecs
Cortes defeating the Aztecs was important because Cortes was greatly outnumbered and had very few advantages. (Muskets, disease, lead bullets, metal armour, horses) Although Cortes was greatly outnumbered, he still won the battle. -
Oct 13, 1527
Bartolome de las Casas argues against enslavement of Native Americans
As a result, no new person would be able to acquire an encomendia with Indian slaves and all encomendia that existed would be destroyed. -
Oct 13, 1535
Pizarro founds a new capital in Lima, Peru. after defeating the Incas
As a result, the colony of New Spain was founded. -
John White returns to the Roanoke settlement to find the colony has disappeared
It is believed that Indians forced the Enshish to help them, and in doing so, this helped clear the way for other similar colonies. -
The English founded Jamestown
In 1607 the English founded Jamestown. Jamestown nearly failed until a settler named John Rolfe planted the first tobacco crop. Soon tobacco became a very profitable crop in England and became Jamestown's first cash crop. -
Champlain founds Quebec
Champlain, a French explorer, founded the city of Quebec which would soon become the hub for French fur trading. The French protected the Algonquin against the Iroquois. -
House of Burgesses formed
The House of Burgesses was the first organized government in America and was where the first laws were made in America. -
The Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth Rock
When the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, within the first 1/4 of the year, about half the Pilgrims died from starvation, freezing to death, not enough water and disease. The Pilgrims met the Wampanoag Indians who taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn and build warm houses. -
Mathias de Sousa, an indentured servant of African descent, arrives in Maryland aboard the Ark
After paying his debts for 7 years, De Sousa became a free man. He later became an interpretor between the colonists and the Native Americans and becamse a member of the Maryland Colonial General Assembly. -
William Penn establishes Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania was established to build a colony where people didn't have to go to church and could still worship God and didn't have to follow other leaders beliefs. -
Georgia, the 13th English colony, is founded
Founder of the 13th English colony was James Oglethorpe, who had initially intended the colony to be a home for debtors but who instead personally chose 116 men and women to accompany him to the new land. -
President Lincoln declares Thanksgiving a national holiday
Thanksgiving became a National holiday in the fall of 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring that the last Thursday in November would be a day of national thanksgiving. Because of this, we still celebrate this holiday by giving Thanks and eating a feast of turkey and jello!
