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Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement is founded in Jamestown, Virginia. -
Slaves
The first enslaved Africans arrive in North America at Jamestown. -
Mayflower
The Mayflower pilgrims establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony at Plymouth. -
General History of Virginia
John Smith publishes the General History of Virginia. -
Pilgirm journey across Atlantic
William Bradford describes his journey across the Atlantic and pilgrims' settlement in Of Plymouth Plantation. -
Public School
North America's first public school is founded in Boston. -
Bay Psalm Book
Bay Psalm Book is the first book to be printed in America -
The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America
Anne Bradstreet's poems, collected as The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, are published in London. -
Native American resistance ends
The Puritans' victory in King Phillip's War ends Native American resistance in New England colony of Pennsylvania. -
Pennsylvania
William Penn founds the colony of Pennsylvania. -
The Sovereignty and Goodness of God
Mary Rowlandson publishes The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, an account of her captivity at the hands of Algonquian Indians. -
Quakers oppose slavery
Quakers voice opposition to slavery. -
Salem witch trials
Salem witch trials show atmosphere of mass hysteria. -
The Wonders of the Invisible World
Cotton Mather publishes The Wonders of the Invisible World in defense of the Salem witch trials. -
Boston Newsletter
The Boston Newsletter, the first American newspaper, is established. -
Population
The colonial population reaches about a half million; Boston's population is about 12,000. -
The Dogood Papers
Benjamin Franklin uses humor to criticize the Puritan establishment in his first published work, The Dogood Papers. -
Great Awakening
The religious revival known as the Great Awakening (1739-1742) begins. -
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Jonathan Edwards delivers a sermon called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." The sermon typlifies the religious movement known as the Great Awakening. -
Iroquois Confederation
The six nations of the Iroquois Confederation cede Ohio Valley territory north of the Ohio River to Britian. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party marks a violent rejection of Britian's taxation policies. The Revolutionary War begins two years later. -
Declaration of Independence
Second Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence. -
End of American Rev.
British defeat at Yorktown ends the American Revolution -
U.S. Constitution
U.S. Constitution is approved.