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Oct 12, 1492
The Bahamas were found
Christopher Columbus, who sailed for Spain; sighted an island in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. He was seeking a new water route to the Indies; and thought the Americas were the Indies -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
An agreement between Portugal and Spain which declared that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.( Divided world between Portugal and Spain) -
Apr 2, 1513
Flordia is discovered
Ponce de Leon claims Florida for Spain. -
Sep 8, 1565
Spain found the city of St. Augustine in Florida.
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés found the city of St. Augustine in Flordia in 1565. Avilés claimed this land for Spain. -
The founding of Roanoke
The first English settlement in the New World was on the island of Roanoke, off the coast of North Carolina. The settlement failed, and no one knows what became of the people who first settled there. -
Edit of Nantes
Gave limited toleration to French Protestants; allowed France to become united and start turning its eyes outward (towards the New World) -
Founding of Jamestown
First permanent English settlement in the New World located in Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay/James River; settled by the Virginia Company of London.
Original settlers suffered from disease (especially malaria), internal strife, & starvation.
Leaders:
John Smith - Demanded that "He who does not work, will not eat."
John Rolfe - Introduced tobacco to the colony. -
House of Burgesses Founded
the first elected legislative assembly in the New World established in the Colony of Virginia in 1619. Over time, the name came to represent the entire official legislative body of the Colony of Virginia, and later, after the American Revolution, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia.In Britain, the term "burgess" had referred to a Parliamentary representative, as of a borough. -
Plymouth Founded
The first permanent English settlement in New England; established by religious separatists seeking autonomy from the church of England. -
Mayflower Compact
A document signed by 41 male passengers of the Mayflower before they landed in New England. By signing this document, they agreed to make and abide by certain laws in their new colony. Because the Mayflower Compact contained the idea of governing by consent, as well as of having a written framework for a government (a Constitution), it is one of the most important American historical documents -
Massachusetts Bay Colony Established
Home to many Puritans who left England because of the persecution they faced from the Anglican Church.
Developed into a theocracy in which the church was central to all decisions; became the first English colony to establish the basis for a representative government.
Leaders:
John Winthrop - Envisioned the colony as a "City upon a Hill." -
Mary Toleration Acts
The first law on religious tolerance in the British North America; allowed freedom of worship for all Christians - including Catholics - in Maryland, but sentenced to death anyone who denied the divinity of Jesus. -
Navigation Acts Passed
Passed under the mercantilist system, the Navigation Acts regulated trade in order to benefit the British economy. The acts restricted trade between England and its colonies to English or colonial ships, required certain colonial goods to pass through England before export, provided subsidies for the production of certain raw goods in the colonies, and banned colonial competition in large-scale manufacturing -
Bacon's Rebellion
Rebellion of discontent former landless servants led by Nathaniel Bacon. Led to a move from indentured servants to African slaves for labor purposes -
Salem Witch Trails
A series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex Counties of colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, with even more accused who were not formally pursued by the authorities. -
Boston Tea Party
In protest of the Tea Act, a band of colonists, led by Sam Adams, disguised as Indians, rowed out to the boat and dumped the tea chests into the harbor. Generally approved by colonists -
The American Revolutionary War Begins
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Treaty Of Paris
The British formally recognized the independence of the United States; granted generous boundaries (Mississippi River to Great Lakes to Spanish Florida plus a share in the priceless fisheries on Newfoundland); Americans could no longer persecute Loyalists and had to restore their property to them; states vowed to put no lawful obstacles in the way of debt-collecting from British -
Stamp Act Passed
George Grenville imposed this measure to raise revenue insupport of the new military force. The Stamp Act mandated the use of stamped paper, certifying payment of the tax. -
Pennsylvania Founded
William Penn received a land grant from King Charles II, and used it to form a colony that would provide a haven for Quakers. His colony, Pennsylvania, allowed religious freedom.
