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Columbus and his crew make landfall on the island of Guanahani, probably San Salvador Island, also called Watlings Island, one of the Bahamas islands.
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He goes ashore on an island, or so he thinks, and names it Florida.
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explores the St. Lawrence River for France.
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He was a Spanish conquistador and explores the Mississippi River.
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Saint Augustine (today's northeastern Florida, about 40 miles or 65 km southeast of Jacksonville), the oldest permanent settlement in the US, is founded by the Spanish.
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Jamestown, Virginia, the first English permanent settlement in North America, is founded. The Virginia Company of London decides this site is the perfect location because no Indians live here. Turns out, the property was vacant for a reason. You couldn't get anything to grow on this swampy land.
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Pilgrims from the ship Mayflower set up a settlement at Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, near Cape Cod.
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The Act Concerning Religion passed by the General Assembly, aka Maryland's legislature, is the first law of religious toleration in the English colonies.
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French explorer Sieur de La Salle investigates the lower Mississippi valley and claims the entire region for France. He calls it Louisiana.
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The 13th and last of the English colonies in America, is founded.
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In the upper Ohio River valley colonial rivalry between France and England came to a head. It was the only time Washington ever surrendered in battle.
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The Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War. The French leave, the British take over. See also the Seven Years' War.
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The Quartering Act and the Stamp Act anger Americans. Nine colonies are represented at the Stamp Act Congress.
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British troops fire on a crowd, killing five people in the so-called Boston Massacre.
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The Boston Tea Party, the first action in a chain leading to war with Britain, takes place.
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First Continental Congress meets at Philadelphia and protests the five Intolerable Acts, also called the Coercive Acts. Meanwhile, Britain closes down Boston harbor and deploys troops in Massachusetts.
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The battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill occur. George Washington on the roll.
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The Declaration of Independence is adopted by Congress. Thomas Jefferson is pleased and the colonies declare independence.
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The Declaration of Independence is adopted by Congress. Thomas Jefferson is pleased and the colonies declare independence.
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General George Rogers Clark leads a victorious expedition into the Northwest Territory.
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George Washington accepts the surrender of Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown VA after the defeat of the British at the Battle of Yorktown. The Articles of Confederation become the government of the US.
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The bald eagle becomes officially the national emblem of the United States, so declare the founding fathers at the Second Continental Congress.
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The 1783 Peace of Paris formally ends the Revolutionary War. Britain accepts the loss of the colonies.
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Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts shows weaknesses of the Confederation government.
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The US Constitution is ratified by the necessary nine states to ensure adoption.
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The Bill of Rights is added to the Constitution and guarantees individual freedom.
