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Jamestown Settlement Established
Three English ships: the Discovery, the Susan Constant, and the Godspeed reach Jamestown Island in Virginia. 103 settlers are onboard. Captain John Smith is named to the governing council. -
Henry Hudson Searches for Northwest Passage
Henry Hudson enters Hudson Bay for the Dutch in attempts to locate a Northwest Passage to the Orient. -
Marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe
The marriage was a turning point for the Jamestown colony as Rolfe would be the first man to bring tobacco seeds into the colony and set in motion 8 years of relative peace among Natives and English settlers. -
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Smallpox Epidemic
The smallpox epidemic decimates approximately 90% of Native populations in Massachusetts Bay area -
Mayflower Compact and Plymouth Colony
Puritan Settlers begin the process of settlement in Plymouth, MA. They formed the Mayflower Compact which provided government and legal structure. Half of the colonists would not live through the harsh winter. -
Establishment of New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was established by the Dutch West India Company on a strategic point at the south of Manhattan Island and was used as a trading stronghold. -
Settlement of Boston
John Winthrop leads 175 colonists to the Trimountain-Harbor area of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and establishes the town of Boston -
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Pequot War
Pequot tribe wages war against Massachusetts, Saybrook, and Plymouth colonies. Ends with Treaty of Hartford. Only 200 Pequot remain. -
First Navigation Acts
Parliament passes the first set of Navigation Acts which banned the use of any non-English ships in colonial commerce. -
Dutch Recapture of New York
Dutch forces repossess New York, formerly New Amsterdam, from British power. However, they would only maintain power for a year. -
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King Philip's War
Metacom forces attack a New England settlement due to encroachment upon their land. The war was a great expense to the English settlements and caused tension between the Native tribes. -
First Paper Money Issued
The first use of paper money in North America occurs in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This was implemented to help pay for expenses of King William's War. -
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Salem Witch Trials
Trials that accused over 150 people of witchcraft and resulted in the legal execution of 19. Was the result of radical preaching and religious ideals in the areas surrounding Salem, Massachusetts
