-
Captain Bartholomew Gosnold
In 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold, a ship captain from England, set sail for the New World. He would become the first Englishman to set foot in the Americas. Gosnold sailed along the New England coast and would discover places such as Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod. -
Jamestown
Jamestown, named after King James I, was the first permanent English settlement in the New World established by the London Company when 104 men and boys sailed from England in search of new land. The land where Jamestown was established would later become the Virginia colony. -
The House of Burgesses
On July 30, 1619, members of the House of Burgesses founded this representative legislative body for the Virginia Colony. This was also the first time that slaves from Africa were brought to the New World. -
The Plymouth Colony
In 1620, 41 men from England aboard the Mayflower, also referred to as the Pilgrims, landed on Plymouth Rock which would later become the colony of Massachusetts. While aboard the Mayflower, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact which was essentially their constitution that they agreed to follow. -
First Quakers
By 1656, the first Quakers had arrives in the New World through the Massachusetts colony. The Quakers were a Christian group from England that preached within the New World. -
New Amsterdam
In 1664, the English took the New Amsterdam colony from the Dutch and made it into the New York colony. -
Bacon's Rebellion
The colonists of Virginia rebelled against the government due to high taxes and low tobacco prices. This was the first up rise against the government in US history. -
Salem Witch Trials
As church politics became more prominent, more people began to speculate about there being witches within the colony of Massachusetts. Men started to accuse certain women of practicing witchcraft. A series of trials were held and those who were found guilty were executed.