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Roanoke
Roanoke was the first English settlement in the new World. Many of the first colonists to arrive died after lack of supplies. John White was sent back to England for more supplies and when returned 3 years later. all the colonist had disappeared, with the only tracing of them being the word CROATOAN craved in a tree. (notes) -
Jamestown
In 1607, Europeans settled and colonized along the coast of Virginia and named it Jamestown. Settlers had a hard first couple years due to the area being somewhat a swamp and not having a good relationship with the natives. In 1612, Tobacco became a main export in Virginia which helped Jamestown get back on its feet and in 1619 the first African slaves were brought there. But in 1622, due to the relations with the Native people, a fourth of settlers were killed. (Notes) -
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was a group of elected repersentives that made of the legislation body of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established in 1619, became an institution. http://www.ushistory.org/us/2f.asp -
Mayflower/plymouth/ mayflower compact
In 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth for the new world. After a 65 day journey, they arrived in Case Cod. The Mayflower Compact established the foundation of the colonies government. It was the first self government and pledged most of the colonies decisions would be made by men. The Pilgrims then settled by the Wampanoag village where they met Squanto, a Native fluent in English who helped the Europeans with food, shelter and just about everything. (Notes) -
New York
Settled by the Dutch in 1624, the area now known as New York was first called New Netherlands. The name New York came after the British and Dutch fought 3 naval battles, in which the British naval fleet surrounded the Dutch, and was renamed for the Duke of York. The Dutch lost control over New York until 1673, where they recaptured a small are but it was quickly brought back under British control. (Notes) -
Masshetchuets Bay Colony
In 1630, 1000 Puritans settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony with a charter from King Charles I. The colony tied its government with Puritans beliefs and was led by John Winthrop who believed that they should be an example for other colonies. Eventually it became the largest and most influential New England colony, surpassing the Plymouth Bay Colony. (Notes) -
Maryland
Settled by Lord Baltimore in 1632, 100 million acres of land was granted for persecuted Christians. it was also a proprietary colony, which meant that the owner of the colony was the ruler, not the British. Baltimore died before anything was done and his son Cecil Calvert took over and granted 100 acres of land to every married couple in Maryland. Protestants took advantage of this and the area quickly switched to mostly Protestant. (Notes) -
Connecticut
Connecticut was settled by Thomas Hooker in 1636. Unlike the other colonies, Connecticut based its citizenship on land ownership, not religion. Connecticut was also the first to have a written constitution called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. (Notes) -
Maryland toleration Act
The Maryland Toleration Act, or better known as the Toleration Act of 1649, granted religious freedom to all Christians living in Maryland. It insured the protection of the rights of the Catholics due to the prevention of religious practices and fines that were given to those who did so.(https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/868/maryland-toleration-act-of-1649) -
Carolina
Carolina was settled by the supporters of King Charles I. 8 of his Supporters settled there in 1663 and realized that the land was perfect was growing crops. These cash crops required lots of labor and overtime African slaves outnumbered the number of European settlers. Carolina then split into two states in 1712 after it became a royal colony. (Notes) -
Bacons Rebellion
In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon raised an unauthorized militia of indentured savants, slaves and farmers to retaliate to Native attacks on the Virginia frontier. Bacon and his men stormed and destroyed Jamestown but the rebellion soon ended after Bacons death from dysentary. Some people believe Bacon did this because of the refusal of Governor Berkley to fight back against the natives, but the reason remains unknown. (Notes) -
Pennsylvania
Settled by William Penn in 1682, Pennsylvania was a "Holy experiment" which meant that everyone could own land. William Penn was given a charter from King Charles II which gave males 50 acres of land and the right to vote. In the 1660s, Pennsylvania became a Quaker haven after Penn became a Quaker himself. Quaker were ridiculed for rejecting oaths, rituals and the church. https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania -
Rhode Island
In 1685, Roger Williams and his supporters were banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of speaking out against governement authorities pushing religious dissertation. They then founded Rhode Island, where there was no religious persecution of Christians. (Notes) -
Salem Witch trails
In the fall of 1692, young girls in Salem Village claimed to be possessed by the devil and started accusing people of witchcraft. a wave of hysteria spread through the area very quickly and people were hung and imprisoned for being wrongly accused of being a witch. After a man was crushed to death, the public finally realized the mess they created, and the hysteria faded away. (Notes) -
Great Migration
The Great Migration was a period in the 17th century where Puritans from England settled in Massachusetts because of religious persecution. (Notes) -
Great Awakening/ Enlightenment
During the 1730s, many peoples focuses fell away from religious beliefs and practices. Christian leaders realized this and began going around evangelizing. A sudden spark of faith started to flow throughout the colonies as people began to turn away from whatever they thought was important and focused on regions beliefs. https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan was a plan suggested by Benjamin Franklin to Congress to create a modified government for the colonies. Over 20 representatives from the colonies joined together to discuss their plan of defense for the French-Inidan War. The Plan represented a early attempt to form a union of the colonies under one government as far as for defense and other general important purposes. Although he plan had many rejections it was eventually taken into affect by the delegates. (history.com) -
French-Indian War
During the early 1750s, France expanded their territory into the Ohio river Valley which caused conflict with the British. In 1754, the French built Fort Duquesne where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers joined the Ohio River, making it a strategically important stronghold that the British repeatedly attacked.The war lasted seven years and ended in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris. https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war -
Proclamation of 1763
After the seven years war, the British issued the proclamation of 1763, which prohibited American colonists from settling west of Appalachia. Colonist who already lived there were required to return, and taxes were raised to help pay for the war. http://www.ushistory.org/us/9a.asp) -
Salutary Neglect
Salutary Neglect was a period during the 1700s where American colonies avoided new rules enforced by the British. One of these rules were the Navigation Acts, which didn't allow colonists to trade with other nations, only England. This resulted in colonists realizing that their colonies and their economies need to be self governed. https://www.britannica.com/topic/salutary-neglect
