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Roanoke (1585-1590)
John White sailed back to England for new supplies, but when he sailed back, a war broke out between England and Spain, and Queen Elizabeth called out every ship to fight the Spanish Armada, when he returned to Roanoke, no trace of any part of a colony was found. http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke -
Jamestown (1607)
On May 14,1607, a group of about 100 members founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River. Native American tribes in the first two years almost brought Jamestown to failure before the arrival of a new group of settlers and supplies in 1610. During the 1620s, expanded into a new town built to the east. It remained the capital of the Virginia colony until 1699. http://www.history.com/topics/jamestown -
Salutary Neglect (1609-1763)
Salutary neglect was a policy of the British government from the early to mid-18th century regarding its North American colonies in which trade regulations for the colonies were not strictly enforced and supervision of internal colonial affairs was loose as long as the colonies remained loyal to the British government and contributed to the economic profitability of Britain.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/salutary-neglect -
House of Burgesses (1619)
In April of 1619, Governor George Yeardley arrived in Virginia from England and announced that the Virginia Company voted to get rid of martial law and create a legislative assembly. http://www.ushistory.org/us/2f.asp -
Mayflower/Plymouth/Mayflower Compact (1621/1793)
The Mayflower set sail on September 6, 1620. After more than two months at sea, the Pilgrims finally arrived at Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. They then sailed up the coast to Plymouth and started to build their town. In 1621, there were enough houses for everyone. The Mayflower Compact, singed in 1793, was a legal instrument that bound the Pilgrims together when they arrived in New England. https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact -
New York (1624)
Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrenders New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland, to an English naval squadron under Colonel Richard Nicolls. Stuyvesant hoped to resist the English. After that, New Amsterdam’s name was changed to New York, in honor of the Duke of York. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629)
Massachusetts was established by the Puritans in 1629. The Plymouth Colony was successful, but only succeeded throughout tremendous hardship. Massachusetts Bay was well-organized which led to the population exploding and absorbing Plymouth as its own. The man often credited as the founder of Massachusetts Bay Colony was John Winthrop. http://thehistoryjunkie.com/massachusetts-bay-colony/ -
Great Migration (1629-1640)
King Charles I dissolved Parliament, preventing Puritan leaders from working within the system to effect change. During the ten years that followed, over twenty thousand men, women, and children left England to settle permanently in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1640, when Parliament was reconvened, attention was redirected from the New World back to the old and migration to New England dropped sharply.
https://www.greatmigration.org/new_englands_great_migration.html -
Maryland (1632)
In 1632, King Charles I of England granted a charter to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, giving him proprietary rights to a region east of the Potomac River in exchange for a share of the income from from the land. The territory was named Maryland in honor of Henrietta Maria. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-settlement-of-maryland -
Rhode Island (1636)
Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams. In 1635, Williams was banished to England by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He fled and lived with the Narragansett Indians. Providence attracted others. Over time, settlements continued to grow. Two other settlements arose. In 1643, Williams went to England and gained permission to form Providence Plantations from Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport This was later changed to Rhode Island. https://www.thoughtco.com/rhode-island-colony-103880 -
Connecticut (1636)
Thomas Hooker founded Connecticut in 1636 after the Dutch created the first trading posts on the Connecticut River Valley. By the 1630's so many people fled Boston that the settlers moved out throughout Southern New England Colonies. John Winthrop asked John Hooker to come to North America. He petitioned to leave, and they were given a commission. Him and his wife went southward, ending up in Connecticut. https://www.thoughtco.com/connecticut-colony-103870 -
Maryland Toleration Act (1649)
The Maryland Toleration Act, passed on April 21,1649, was a law mandating religious tolerance for Trinitarian Christians. The Act allowed freedom of worship for all Trinitarian Christians in Maryland, but sentenced to death anyone who denied the divinity of Jesus. It was revoked in 1654 by William Claiborne. When the Calverts regained control of Maryland, the Act was reinstated, before being repealed permanently in 1692. https://www.americanhistoryusa.com/topic/maryland-toleration-act/ -
Carolina (1663)
In 1629, Charles I granted a charter for the province of Carolina. While some settlement took place along the Cape Fear River as early as about 1650, the English Crown took little action in governing the province until 1663. In that year, Charles II granted a new charter to eight English noblemen. The Lords Proprietors saw Carolina as a money making venture and encouraged settlement with promises.
http://teachingushistory.org/lessons/col_his_bg_notes.html -
Bacon's Rebellion (1676)
In 1676, a farmer named Nathanial Bacon led a series of expeditions to defend the frontier against Indian attacks. http://baconsrebellion.com/about-2/ -
Pennsylvania (1681)
The land that is now Pennsylvania was actually first claimed by the Swedes under Peter Minuit in 1638, but was later taken by the Dutch. But in 1681, William Penn was issued grant by King Charles II largely because of a significant debt owed to his father, Admiral Penn. It was named Pennsylvania.
http://mrnussbaum.com/history-2-2/pacolony/ -
Great Awakening (1730's-1740's)/ Enlightenment (1685-1815)
In Europe, the Enlightenment inspired people's interests in education, science and literature. It also challenged the role of religion and divine right. The movement ended up taking a scientific approach to the world. The Great Awakening fulfilled people’s need for purpose. However, it ended up weakening the importance of clergy as believers started relying on their own conclusions . http://historyrocket.com/American-History/The-Great-Awakening-And-Enlightenment-In-Colonial-America.html -
Salem witch trials (1692-1693)
The Salem witch trials began during in 1692, when a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As a wave of panic spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court was put in Salem to hear the cases; over 150 men and women and children were accused over the next several months. http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials -
Albany Plan (1754)
The Albany Plan of Union was a proposal made at the Albany Congress in 1754 intended for the development of a strong union of the colonies under one single government and direction. http://totallyhistory.com/albany-plan-of-union/ -
French-Indian War (1754-1763)
The French and Indian War resulted from ongoing frontier tensions in North America between the French and the British. The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over later frontier policies and paying the war’s expenses led to colonial discontent, which would lead to the American Revolution. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war -
Proclamation of 1763
At the end of the French and Indian War, the British issued a proclamation, intended to appease the Indians by checking the encroachment of settlers on their lands. http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/1763-proclamation-of
