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Jan 4, 1000
B.C. -1500 A.D. Woodland Period
Woodland Period -
Jan 4, 1492
-1493 Columbus gets Sponsored
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Jan 4, 1492
-1493 Columbus Lands in the Caribbean
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Jan 4, 1500
-1600 Many Tribes Live in PA
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Jan 4, 1500
-1600 First Contact with Europeans
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Jamestown VA was Settlled
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Henry Hudson Explores the Deleware Bay Area
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Pilgrims settle in Plymouth, (from Mayflower)
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Peter Minuit Comes to New Netherland
Peter Minuit left Holland and settled i the the American Colony of New Netherland in1626. There he also developed New Sweden from a tract of land from neighboring indian cheifs. Appointed as a governor of New Netherlands form 1626-1633 he developed friendships with indians, but was still wary in case they should turn on him. Although he had such connections in America he continued to return to Holland and explore other places. Peter Minuit died at sea in 1638. -
New Sweeden is Founded
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Dutch Take Over New Sweeden
To begin with, the Dutch funded New Sweeden through the company Dutch West Indian Company. As a result, they thought they had possession, so when New Sweeden tried to become self-sufficient, the Dutch stengthened thier ties with local native americans. On August 27, 1655 Dutch sent troops and fleets that decicively gave them possesion within two weeks. -
England Takes Over New York Colony
Charles II gave this land to his brother, completely ignoring Dutch claims. Battles went back and forth, and eventually the American governor, Stuyvesant, died of cholera and England took control. The poeple were not for the governor in the first palce; they were wary of his tyrinical style and government. When the english ships took him off guard, he got very upset and sputtered through his military, but in the end there was nothing he could do to escape the invasion and seize. -
William Penn is Granted a Charter for Pennsylvania
William Penn's father once lent King Charles II lots of money. When he died and the King still hadn't payed the family back, William suggested land in the new world. As a result William Penn recieved a charter for Pennsylvania and decided to sell his land to make profit. (He also later earned the rights to Deleware.) -
Penn Meets with Delaware Native Americans
Because William Penn was concerned with how Quakers and Native Americans would interact he arranged meetings with them to try to establish and maintian peace. One of these was with Delaware Chief Tamanend. The two were quite friendly and trade took place. In the same way, Penn continued to pursue peace with Native Americans. -
Pennsylvania is Founded
King Charles wanted the tract of land granted to William Penn to somehow reflect his respect and appreciation of his lost friend, William's father. Geographically William Penn recognized the bountiful forests in his land. So the two decided on the name Pennsylvania, meaning Penn's Woods. For 75 years, government in Pennsylvania was based around the Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's constitution. When the colony became a state, greater advancements followed. -
William Penn Dies
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Ben Franklin Arrives in Philadelphia
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The Walking Purchase
The walking purchase was a corrupt deal between William Penn's sons and secretary and the Delaware Native Americans. (The Iroquios were even bribed to pressure the Delaware into consenting.) They agreed that the English, Penn's men, could have as much land from the Delaware as they could walk in a day. However when this came to be the English took off running, leaving the Delaware Native Americans in the dust. The Delaware lost twice as much land as they had expected. -
- 1763 French and Indian War
Conflict in early America caused many problems regarding trade, land, and even language barriers. The english were the first to act, calling a Virginian governor named Dinwiddie to defend their claims. He sent George Washington to get the French out. There was a bit of bickering, but Washington's reinforcements came and he got them out. This marked the beginning of the French and Indian War, the battle of English and colonists on one side and French and Indians on the other. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
A powerful Ottowa Cheif named Pontiac became frustrated with the condition of his 'converted' people and took matters into his own hands, believing he was correct according to the Great Spirit. He got several other tribes to join his and they ransacked many farms, took settler captives, and even surrounded Fort Pitt -
Stamp Act
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Townsend Acts
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Anthracite Coal is First Used in Homes
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Boston Tea Party
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1st Continental Congress
Taxation was one of many issues irritating colonists. To try to relolve these problems delegates were sent to Philadelphia forming the 1st Continental Congress. They developed a petition called the Declaration of Rights and Grievances to King George III. He refused it and the English Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts meant to stiffle the colonists. It only made them angry and sparked battles at Lexington and Concord. -
Intolerable Acts passed
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Second Continental Congress
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Declaration of Independence
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The Pennsylvania Constitution is Written
This document is the foundation of our current state government. It ensures basic rights to citizens, outlines governmetn structure, and provides rules for how our representatives are elected and how they conduct business of the state. This was written by William Penn -
- 1778 Washington Occupies Valley Forge
After many tiring battles Washington and his men found haven in Valley Forge.(Present day South East Pennsylvania.) The British could have followed and destroyed them there, but were willing to actually wait the winter out, doubting the settler's survival. Fortunately the Colonist recieved good news as the French became allies, and despite extremely desolate conditions Washington managed to boost moral. Also Prussian soldier Baron Von Steuben helped train worn farmers into a strong army again. -
Articles of Confederation Adopted by the States
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U.S. Constitution is Adopted
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John Finch Invents Steamboats
Building on the orginial ideas of William Henry, John Finch worked to build the first usable Steamboat. Relying on investors from Philadelphia he had to first persuade them of the potential. He used the Delaware River to test his prospects and eventually he found the right combination. Although his success wasn't widely known to the public of the time, he had established a steamboat line from Philadelphia to Burlington New Jersey. -
George Washington is Elected President
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Cornplanter's Grant
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The Lancaster Pike is Completed
With the advancement of the Lancaster Pike travel instantly became faster. What had taken several days before by stagecaoch, now only took 12 hours. All ruts were gone and new access to major trade cities was available. Finances were maintianed by regulated tolls and overall was a huge success, even inspiring other refined roads like it.
