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Roanoke
In 1587 a small colony was founded off the coast of North America. Its mayor, John White, left for England to get more resources but was delayed due to an ongoing war. When he returned, three years later, the settlement had vanished. The only clue that was left behind was the word "Croatoan" carved into a nearby tree. White was unable to look for the missing colonists because of an approaching storm that forced him to return to England. https://www.britannica.com/story/the-lost-colony-of-roanoke -
Jamestown - https://bestgedclasses.org/jamestown/
In 1607, settlers sailed to Virginia and named their colony Jamestown after King James I. They looked for gold, and disregarded all of their other responsibilities resulting in the colonist dying of starvation and disease. John Smith took control and ordered the settlers to focus on their survival. Tobacco, a cash crop, was discovered which led to a series of battles between the colonist and the natives. John Rolfe married Pocahontas, which created peace before the colonist stole land again. -
House of Burgesses - https://historyplex.com/virginia-house-of-burgesses-purpose-facts-significance
The House of Burgesses was a representative assembly in colonial Virginia. It was an outgrowth of the first governing body, the General Assembly. In 1643 Governor William Berkeley split the House of Burgesses off as a separate chamber. It had the power to grant supplies and originated laws and had the right of revision and veto. The council also sat as a supreme court to review the county courts. The House consisted of 22 representatives, six council men, and 15 men elected by the people (VA). -
Mayflower/ Plymouth/ Mayflower Compact - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mayflower-ship
The Mayflower was the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Massachusetts, where they established the first permanent New England colony. It was chartered by a group of English merchants called the London Adventurers. After a long trip, it first landed on Cape Cod but then deposited its 102 settlers nearby at Plymouth. Before going ashore, Pilgrim leaders drafted the Mayflower Compact, a 200-word document that was the framework of government in the territory that would become the U.S.A. -
The Great Migration
The "Great Migration" was when Puritans, who believed in complete separation from the corrupt church, sailed from England to America. They were middle-class families who were looking to live righteous and spiritual lives rather than most of the other settlers who were looking for gold and riches. It started in 1630 when John Winthrop led 800 people and 11 ships to Massachusetts to start their new lives. https://www.geni.com/projects/Great-Puritan-Migration-1620-1640-Passenger-Ship-Portal/42414 -
Massachusetts Bay Colony - https://www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts-Bay-Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of the first English settlements, founded in 1630 by 1,000 Puritans under John Winthrop. The settlers established a theocratic government limited to church members. Winthrop and other leaders sought to prevent any independence of religious views, which would result in banishment. Increasing estrangement between the colony and England resulted in the annulment of the company’s charter and the substitution of royal government under a new charter in 1691. -
Maryland Colony - https://www.britannica.com/place/Maryland-state/The-colony
In 1632 Cecilius Calvert was granted a charter for the land in which his fellow Catholics may escape the religious restrictions in England. Leonard Calvert landed on St. Clements Island in March 1634. Aware of the mistakes made by previous colonists, Maryland’s settlers, rather than hunt for gold, made peace with the Natives and established farms and trading posts. The Calvert family provided for religious freedom in the colony, this was formalized by the General Assembly in 1649. -
Rohde Island Colony - https://thehistoryjunkie.com/rhode-island-colony-facts/
Rhode Island was settled by Roger Williams. Williams was a minister in Massachusetts Bay, but he was banished. It was the first colony to offer religious freedom and a separate church from state. It created an egalitarian constitution along with a majority rules decision for social issues. Rohde Islands relationship with Natives and nearby colonies became hostile despite its efforts to remain neutral. It was the first to renounce its allegiance to Britain and the last to ratify the Constitution. -
Connecticut Colony - https://thehistoryjunkie.com/connecticut-colony-facts/
Connecticut was established on March 3, 1636 for Puritan nobleman. Early on, the English settlers under John Winthrop Jr. struggled with the Dutch for possession of the land, but the English eventually gained control. The colony was then thrown into an Indian war between the English and Native Americans. Connecticut would go on to play an important role in self-government due to its founder, Thomas Hooker. In 1638 Hooker preached a sermon that would lead to the Fundamental Order of Connecticut. -
Maryland Toleration Act - https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/868/maryland-toleration-act-of-1649#:~:text=Long%20before%20the%20First%20Amendment%20was%20adopted%2C%20the,the%20colony.%20Toleration%20Act%20made%20blasphemy%20a%20crime
The assembly of the Province of Maryland passed “An Act Concerning Religion,” also called the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649. The act ensured freedom of religion for Christian settlers of diverse persuasions in the colony. The law made it a crime to blaspheme God, the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, or the early apostles and evangelists. Maryland nullified this law from 1654 to 1661 and from 1692 to the end of the Revolutionary period. -
New York - https://welcometocolonialnewyorkpace.weebly.com/a-brief-history.html
On Henry Hudson's third trip in 1611, he sailed as far as Albany, therefore establishing Dutch claims to the region. The Dutch considered New Netherlands as a primary source of furs. Between 1652 and 1674, the Dutch fought three naval wars with England. In 1664, the English sent a fleet to seize New Netherlands, which surrendered without a fight. The English renamed the colony New York, after James, the Duke of York, who had received a charter to the territory from his brother King Charles II. -
Carolina Colony - https://guides.statelibrary.sc.gov/sc-information/history-culture
In 1663, eight lord proprietors established an English settlement that was near present day Charleston. The colony, named Carolina after King Charles I, was divided in 1712 into South Carolina and North Carolina. Settlers from the British Isles, France, and other parts of Europe built plantations throughout the coastal low-country, growing profitable crops of rice and indigo. South Carolina was one of the richest colonies in America. Its merchants and planters formed a strong governing class. -
Bacon's Rebellion - http://totallyhistory.com/bacons-rebellion/
In 1676, Virginian farmers demanded that natives around the settlement must be sent away or killed. To avoid conflicts, William Berkeley, passed a law that allowed the natives to stay in the colonial lands. This enraged a planter, Nathaniel Bacon, who gathered some settlers and planned against Berkeley. First, they attacked natives who were allies of the British. Afterwards, they stormed Jamestown and burned the land. Berkeley was forced to retreat and refuse fighting against this rebellion. -
Pennsylvania Colony - https://thehistoryjunkie.com/pennsylvania-colony-facts/
Pennsylvania was an influential colony throughout America and would become an economic powerhouse. It was founded by William Penn in 1681. Though it was not the first colony to have religious freedom, it played a role in its growth. Penn also ensured fair treatment of Indians, low taxes, low inflation of the currency, and no debt. Due to its Quaker roots the colony never had a military and wouldn't get involved in Indian wars. This led to economic growth and good faith with the Lenape Indians. -
Salem Witch Trials - https://www.thoughtco.com/the-salem-witchcraft-trials-overview-104588
In 1689, Salem (MA) hired its first ordained minister, Samuel Parris. In 1692, Reverend Parris’ daughter, Elizabeth, niece, Abigail Williams, and several other young girls became quite sick. These girls were observed throwing themselves on the ground, contorting themselves and having uncontrollable fits of screaming and crying. Local authorities accused Parris' slave, Tituba and two other women of practicing witchcraft. Over 200 people were accused and 20 were killed by the end of the trials. -
The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment - https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-ushistory1os2xmaster/chapter/great-awakening-and-enlightenment/
The British experienced an outburst of revivalism known as the Great Awakening. Evangelists came from many denominations: Congregationalists, Anglicans, etc. They rejected formal modes of worship in favor of an emotional religiosity. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. Using the press, John Locke, Isaac Newton, and Voltaire questioned accepted knowledge and spread ideas about openness, investigation, and religion. -
The Albany Plan - http://totallyhistory.com/albany-plan-of-union/#:~:text=The%20Albany%20Plan%20of%20Union%20was%20a%20proposal,posed%20by%20the%20infamous%20French%20and%20Indian%20War.
The Albany Congress formed a committee that considered different plans and proposals. It settled on Benjamin Franklin’s proposal which called for a general government, administered by a President General appointed and supported by the Crown. It also called for a Grand Council where the members were chosen by representatives coming from the colonial assemblies. There were many objections from the different sides, but the problems were resolved. Eventually, delegates finally adopted the proposal. -
French-Indian War - https://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/frenchindian/summary/
Britain and France each wanted to expand their land holdings in America. After a year of unofficial battle, they formally declared war. For the first 3 years, France dominated the battlefield. In 1758, Britain began to make peace with Indian allies and, with the help of William Pitt, began adapting their strategies to fit the landscape of the American frontier. The French were abandoned by their Indian allies giving Britain a chance to strike. Exhausted by years of war, France collapsed in 1759. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by the British at the end of the French and Indian War to appease Natives by checking the encroachment of settlers on their lands. It created a boundary, known as the proclamation line, separating the colonies from Indian lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. After the conclusion of the French and Indian War, Britain began to tighten control over its colonies. This royal proclamation, issued on October 7, 1763, closed down colonial expansion in the west. -
Salutary Neglect - https://historyplex.com/salutary-neglect-definition-effects-significance#:~:text=Salutary%20neglect%20was%20a%20method%20of%20garnering%20and,in%20them%2C%20and%20were%20English%20in%20most%20ways.
Salutary neglect garnered and maintained American loyalty towards Britain. British Prime Minister Robert Walpole visualized to kindle and advance trade and commerce, resulting in salutary neglect. Its an unofficial set of laws, responsible for granting relaxation in parliamentary laws, for trade, and for securing loyalty from the colonies. After this was called off in the colonies, it was met with anger, thus prompting them to revolt, which was expressed in the form of the American Revolution.
