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Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the United States, established by the London Company in southeast Virginia. -
First Tobacco Crop Planted
Tobacco saved Jamestown and opened the door to a future English colony. The struggling colonies could not find a way to feed themselves. John Rolfe grew tobacco in the colonies and it soon became a massive export to European countries. -
The first congress
The first congress of the United States, The Congress, met for the first time in Virginia. The first African slaves were brought to Jamestown. -
Charles 1 Executed
Because of the political turmoil in England, King Charles I was executed. This led to the American colonies being forced to clarify their position on British affairs. Most colonies wished to remain neutral in political conflicts, but others swore allegiance to the sons of Kings. A conflict between Parliament and the colonies that supported the monarch led to the first discussion of British authority in America. -
Land allotted to the State of Maryland
The second English colony in the United States, named Maryland after the Queen of England, was founded by King Charles I. The formation of the new colonies paved the way for the formation of other Colonies in the United States. -
Colonial population
Colonial population is estimated at 50,400. -
Virginia Law
In Virginia, the first laws were passed to help define the nature of slavery in the colonies. The law states that the child of the slave mother inherits her conditions. In other words, regardless of the father's condition, the child of the slave mother is now a slave for life. The law was the beginning of the American legal system, which maintained slavery by legalizing a growing slave population. -
The Birth of New York
The British captured New Amsterdam (city and colony) from the Dutch and renamed it New York. -
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King Phillip's War
In Swansea, New England, the local Wampanoags, led by a native named Metacom, attacked The British colonists, sparking local conflict. What began as a single act of revenge escalated into a war involving the military forces of several colonies and initially neutral natives. The war left thousands of local people dead and opened the door to future colonies in the region. Moreover, by the end of the war, the two groups remained hostile to each other. -
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Bacon's Rebellion
When a group of Doygues clashed with a Virginia settler, the misguided violence escalated into a full-blown conflict. A group of colonists led by Nathaniel Bacon began publicly attacking all the native people of the area, claiming that they were defending themselves. Ironically, the colonial government largely saw Bacon as the enemy of trouble. The result of the rebellion was to anger the local population and open hatred between the natives and the colonists. -
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British Glorious Revolution
Further political upheaval in Britain led to another change of monarch. James II was replaced by the Protestant William and his wife Mary. The revolution was peaceful and bloodless, so it was called "glorious". The colonies rejoiced when the new monarch consolidated Protestantism as the dominant religion in England.