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Roanoke
In August 1587 115 English settlers made it on to Roanoke island. Later that year John White, the governor of the colony, went back to England to get supplies. When he made it back his was sent to fight in the naval war against Spain. 3 years later he finally returned to see his wife, daughter, and granddaughter, the first European born in America,Virginia Dare. But on arrival everything was gone except 1 word Croatoan.
https://www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke -
Jamestown part 1
The Virginia Company of London established a colony on the east coast of North America in 1607. The colony's start was bad with the 1st winter taking plenty of lives. It was hard since the colony was on a swamp, men refused to work, and the winter was extremely bad. But then Natives started to help them. The leader of Jamestown was John Smith and he declared that those who don't work don't eat. In 1609 things were so bad colonists left only to be met by a ship with supplies and returned. Notes -
Jamestown part 2
In 1612 John Rolfe and Pocahontas, his wife, grew tobacco which became Virginia's 1st profitable export. Then the Virginia Company offered people free land to those who stay in Jamestown, 9,000 came and only 2,000 survived. Indentured servants were 1st used to work the fields and cure the tobacco. in 1619 the 1st American slaves were brought to Jamestown. In March 1622 Natives killed 25% of the settlers in Jamestown and in 1676 Jamestown was destroyed by Bacon and his men. Notes -
Salutary Neglect https://www.thoughtco.com/salutary-neglect-104293
This unofficial British policy was made by the 1st Prime Minister of Great Britain, Robert Walpole and basically stated that there is no strict trade laws, this was in effect from 1607 to 1763. There was the Navigation Act of 1651 which allowed goods to be sent to America and stop colonists from trading with people wasn't English but it wasn't heavily enforced because they couldn't get enough officials.The Salutary Neglect ended after the French-Indian War which lead to the American Revolution. -
The Great Puritan Migration https://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-great-puritan-migration/
In September of 1620 the Puritans set off on the Mayflower to the New World. In 1625 more puritans left England to go to America due to King Charles favoring catholic religion. In April of 1630 John Winthrop arrived to New England and in June he settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After King Charles appointed William Laud as the new Archbishop of Canterbury tons of puritans went to New England. The migration finally ended in 1640-1642 after a long Parliament and the English civil war. -
Mayflower/Plymouth/Mayflower Compact
After 65 days aboard the Mayflower 100 people including 35 pilgrims set up a scouting party to find land and they come back with news of an abandoned Wampanoag village on a hill. When they got there they made the 1st self government plan in the colonies, the Mayflower Compact and there in 1620 they settled the Plymouth colony. Half of the settlers died in the 1st winter but with the help of Squanto and the Pawtuxet tribe they learned to farm corn. In 1621 the 1st Thanksgiving happened. Notes -
New York
A middle colony settled by the Dutch in 1624 originally called New Netherlands and New York City was called New Amsterdam. Before the dutch settled there in 1611 Henry Hudson explored the area for the Dutch East India Company. The Patroon system was used to promote the area. From 1652 to 1674 the Dutch fought 3 naval wars against the British. In 1664 the British got the land after the Dutch surrender it then the area was renamed for the Duke of York who got a charter for the territory. Notes -
Massachusetts Bay Colony Notes
Settled by the Puritans in 1630 with a charter from King Charles around 1,000 settled in Mass. Governor John Winthrop led them and believed "We shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of the people are on us." Laws were tied to Church beliefs and would punish those who would follow from fines to execution. By 43 20,000 English settlers joined them however the Puritans were still in control since only Church members could vote. It soon became the must influential colony. in 91 its royally ruled -
Maryland
A Southern proprietary colony settled by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic who convinced King Charles to give him a 100 million acres for persecuted Catholics. Before Baltimore could do anything with the land he died and his son, Cecil Calvert, manged the colony. He would offer married couples 100 acres who settled in Maryland. During 1649 they passed the Toleration act, you can read more about it in the Toleration Act event. Notes -
Rhode Island
Banished by the Mass. Bay Colony for speaking out against punishing religiously Natives, Roger Williams and his supporters settled Rhode Island as a New England colony, where there was no religious persecution of Christians. Notes -
Connecticut
Settled by Thomas Hooker in 1636 Connecticut was set as a New England Colony. The first written constitution in North American was written there and was called the Fundamental of Connecticut. Connecticut's citizenship was based on land ownership not religion. notes -
House of Burgesses
In 1643 the House of Burgesses was split off and became its own separate chamber of the thereafter bicameral assembly. It was the first elective governing body in the possession of the British overseas. It would set up laws, gave supplies, and was a supreme court to review county courts. This would be unchanged until the American Revolution. https://www.britannica.com/topic/House-of-Burgesses -
Maryland Toleration Act
The Toleration Act granted religious freedom to all Christians living in Maryland. Notes -
Carolina
In 1663 King Charles II gave 8 supporters land in Carolina. settled as a southern colony it had easy trade with the West Indies and would grow cash crops like rice, indigo, and tobacco. With these crops came a huge labor force, by 1720 African slaves outnumber the Europeans 2:1. In 1729 it became a royal colony and split into North and South Carolina. Notes -
Bacon's Rebellion
The first colonial rebellion against the crown. A militia of indentured servants, slaves, and farmers led by Nathaniel Bacon to fight back Native's attacks. William Berkeley, Virginia's Governor, got an army to fight Bacon and his men.Some say Bacon has a hidden motive rather than Berkeley refusing to fight Natives like Bacon hating Berkeley or wanting to remove him from power. Bacon and his men destroyed Jamestown.The rebellion ended after Bacon's death to dysentery, his men were hung. Notes -
Pennsylvania
After being granted a charter by King Charles II in 1681 William Penn settled the middle colony in 1682. He established the colony as a "Holy experiment" a place where every male settler was given 50 acres of land and the right to vote. Once Penn became a Quaker in the 1660s his colony soon became a haven for Quakers. Notes -
The Salem Witch Trials
It all started with young girls claiming to possessed by of the devil and accusing women of being witches. Hysteria swept through the area. 150 people were imprisoned for witchcraft 7 died in prison, 19 were hung, and 1 was crushed to death for refusing to testify. All of this ended in September 1693 after public opinion turned against the trials. Notes -
The Great Awakening/Enlightenment https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening
A European philosophical movement called the Enlightenment was going across the Atlantic to the American colonies in the 1700s. It would make people have a more scientific and logical view of the world, talking down religion.Then Johnathon Edwards, George Whitefield, and others came in bringing in the 1st Great Awakening which would scare people back to faith. By 1742 people were split into 2 groups, New lights & Old lights. The 1st Awakening ended in 1740s. The 2nd came in from 1790 to 1870 -
Albany Plan https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/albany-plan-of-union/
Purposed by Benjamin Franklin during the Albany congress of 1754 it would form a permanent federation of the colonies. This would reform colonial-imperial relations and to more productively talk about shared colonial interests. it was first introduced on June 19th and was adopted on July 10th. However the plan was rejected by King George II and by all individual governments that considered it. But it was important because it was the 1st attempt to develop inter-cooperation among the colonies -
French-Indian War https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war
Also called the 7 Years' War it lasted from 1756 to 1763.It all began In 1754 the French built Fort Duquesne where The Ohio, Allegheny, Monongahela Rivers met which made it strategically important fort that the British repeatedly attacked. in 1756 the British declared war. In 1757 the British turned the tables with a new leader William Pitt and from July 1758 to Sep 1758 they won at Louisbourg took Fort Frontenac and Fort Duqesne. The War ended in Feb 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris -
Proclamation of 1763
After the French-Indian War King George III made a royal proclamation on Oct 7 1763 because of Pontiac's Rebellion. This proclamation stated that all lands west of the Appalachian Divide was off-limits to all colonists except for officially licensed traders to only trade with the Natives. He believed this would make the lower possibility of Natives attacking.
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/1763-proclamation-of
