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The Lost Colony of Roanoke
In 1587, Governor John White left the Island Colony of Roanoke to get more supplies for the settlers, who were plagued by starvation and attacks from Native Americans. However, war in England prevented him from returning until 1590. When he did return, he found nothing, except for the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree. Because this is also the name of a nearby Native American tribe, many suspect they had something to do with it, but no one knows for sure what became of the Colony of Roanoke. -
The Founding of the Plymouth Colony
In September 1620, a small group of Puritans left England for the "New World", America, aboard the Mayflower. There, they believed they would be able to find religious freedom, something that did not exist in their homeland. During their voyage across the Atlantic, the Puritans created the Mayflower Compact, which laid the foundations for their government and laws. Upon arriving in America, they established the Plymouth Colony, the first permanent European settlement in New England. -
The Salem Witch Trials
In 1692, a group of girls in Salem, Massachusetts claimed that their slave, Tituba, had been practicing witchcraft. This accusation quickly escalated into a mass hysteria that impacted people all over New England. Nearly everyone was at risk of being called a witch, especially those known for eccentric behaviors or skepticism of the trials. If these accused witches were found guilty, they could face punishments as serious as death. Even today, the painful legacy of the trials lives on. -
The French and the Native Americans Form an Alliance
As the British colonial population grew, they came to greatly outnumber the French. No longer needing the Native Americans as allies in battle, the British began to treat them much more harshly. Because the French recognized that they would need the Native Americans' help to defend against the powerful British army, they treated them with more respect and dignity. As a result of their generosity, the Native Americans formed an alliance with the French to resist British colonial expansion. -
The Treaty of Paris
In 1763, the Treaty of Paris brought an end to the French and Indian War. The British emerged victorious, having successfully driven the French from North America. They gained control of Canada, the Great Lakes region, the Ohio River valley, and Florida. Because the French were no longer a threat to the British in North America, the Spanish became the British's greatest rivals. The Mississippi River became the boundary between British and Spanish claims in North America. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
From the spring through the fall of 1763, various Native American tribes attacked and raided British forts and settlements. They hoped to weaken the British, and draw the French back into North America. However, this goal was never achieved. The natives failed to capture the three strongest British posts, and without a European supplier, they lacked gunpowder, shot, and guns. At the same time, the British sought an end to this costly war. In 1764, the Native Americans and the British made peace. -
The Boston Massacre
In March 1770, a group of colonists chose to express their resentment towards the British soldiers occupying Boston by hurling snowballs and rocks at the guards posted outside the Customs House. In a frenzy, the soldiers fired their guns into the crowd, killing five colonists. Under the leadership of Samuel Adams, the colonists called the incident the Boston Massacre. As a result, many of the colonists began to unify against the British, causing them to back down and withdraw troops from Boston. -
The Boston Tea Party
The British East India Company was weakened by the colonists' tea boycott. To try and help, Parliament passed a law that made their tea cheaper than smuggled tea despite the tax placed on it. Still, the colonists did not buy the cheaper tea. They believed that they were being tricked into paying the tax, and also that it would hurt the colonists who smuggled tea. One night, the colonists boarded British tea ships, dumping their cargo into the harbor in an event we know as the Boston Tea Party. -
The First Continental Congress
In 1774, delegates from each of the colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the First Continental Congress. Hoping to pressure Parliament to repeal the Coercive Acts, they announced a boycott of all British imports. Throughout the colonies, the Patriots organized local committees and provincial congresses to enforce the boycotts. In doing so, they established new governments that bypassed Parliament and the King, and expanded the ranks of the politically active. -
Hamilton's Plan
Under his plan, Hamilton wanted to develop a commercial and industrial economy that could support a large federal government and strong military. He would fund America's debt by selling government bonds, which would pay annual interest to the holders.To pay this interest, he proposed new taxes to raise revenue for the government and protect American manufacturers from foreign competition. He also suggested a national bank that could regulate state banks and strengthen the federal government. -
Jay Treaty
Negotiated by Chief Justice John Jay, under this treaty the British gave up their forts on American soil, and America had to pay back prewar debts to the British. America also gained trading privileges with the British, the Mississippi River was made open to both countries, America could no longer supply food and weapons to British enemies, and joint commissions were required to settle boundary disputes. The treaty was narrowly ratified, as Democratic Republicans considered it a sell out. -
Washington's Farewell
After having been easily reelected in 1792, George Washington declined to run again in 1796. He wanted to set a precedent of walking away from power, differentiating himself from the English monarchy. Washington retired with an impressive reputation, defeating the American Indians on the frontier, opening the western lands to settlement, suppressing the Whiskey Rebellion, and keeping the nation out of war in Europe. Washington also offered some advice to his successors, promoting national unity. -
Marbury vs. Madison
In the Judiciary Act of 1801, the number of circuit courts and members of the circuit courts were increased. Days before John Adams left the presidency, he tried to appoint several new candidates. Adams named William Marbury justice for the District of Columbia, but Secretary of State James Madison refused to deliver the papers of appointment. Marbury complained to the Supreme Court, and Marshall found Madison to be acting unconstitutionally, exercising judicial review for the very first time. -
The Louisiana Purchase
In the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson acquired a vast territory from the French extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. For about 828,000 square miles of land, America paid just $15 million. The purchase created opportunities for westward expansion, and increased government revenue from the sale of this newly obtained land. The territory was first explored by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark; they discovered a variety of new terrains, plants, animals, and peoples. -
Steamboats Created
The first major advance in transportation was the development of the steamboat. By burning wood or coal, the engine boiled the water to create steam. The force of the steam turned a large, rotating paddle, which pushed the boat through the water. Robert Fulton designed the first commercially successful steamboat - the Clermont. The steamboat could travel upstream against the current, increasing the speed at which people and goods could be moved, as well as the ease with which it could be done. -
The Embargo of 1807
In a practice known as impressment, the British Navy forced American sailors to work for their army. Britain tried to justify their actions with the claim that anyone born within its empire was a British citizen for life. However, they also took American born sailors. Jefferson set up an embargo to retaliate against British impressment, as we were not strong enough to fight back. This embargo backfired and damaged the American economy, not that of the British, who simply sought trade elsewhere. -
Tariff of 1816
The Tariff of 1816 was a tariff on imports created to protect American industry. It increased the price of imported manufactured goods by an average of 20 to 25 percent. The inflated price for imports encouraged Americans to buy products made in the United States. The tariff was created in response to a large influx of British goods being sent to the United States following the War of 1812. Newly established American manufacturers would otherwise have been crippled by this British competition. -
Lowell Girls
During the 1820s, Francis Cabot Lowell and his associates built several factories on the Merrimack River in Massachusetts, also establishing a town called Lowell. In these factories, all operations in the manufacture of cloth occurred. Their system employed young, single women recruited from local farms. The company enforced strict rules of behavior, housing the “Lowell girls” in closely supervised boardinghouses. After a few years of work, most of the young women married and left the factories. -
Missouri Compromise
Crafted by Henry Clay, the Missouri Compromise established that the northern district of Massachusetts would enter the Union as the free state of Maine to balance admission of Missouri as a slave state. To discourage future disputes over state admissions, the compromise also drew a line across the continent from the southwestern corner of Missouri to the nation’s western boundary. Territories south of that line would enter as slave states. Those north of the line would become free states. -
Monroe Doctrine
Created by President John Quincy Adams, this policy declared that European monarchies had no business interfering in American republics. In return, the United States promised to stay out of European affairs. The Monroe Doctrine established that European colonization in the Western Hemisphere had come to an end, as these lands were to be under American control. A prime example of nationalism, this policy was an attempt to broaden America's power and sphere of influence in the early 1800s.
