Colonial America

Christopher Columbus' Discovery of America

Oct 12, 1492

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/columbus.htmChristopher Columbus was a Portuguese sailor sent on a fully funded trip by Spain's rulers to seek a western sea route to Asia in order to find India. However, on October 12, 1492 he landed in what is now American land. Still thinking he was in India he named the tribal people he met there "Indians". This was a very important discovery for the history of America.

Roanoke "The Lost Colony"

Jul 13, 1584

http://thelostcolony.org/roanoke-voyages/Roanoke was Queen Elizabeth's and Walter Raleigh's idea to have the first completely permanent English settlement on the new land. However, in 1590 when the leader of Roanoke colony, John Smith, got back he discovered that all of Roanoke's colonists had dissapeared almost overnight. There was not a trace of anyone around. The only shred of evidence left to be seen was a carving in a nearby tree that read "Croatoan". 90 men, 17 women, and 9 children dissapeared that day.

Establishment of Jamestown

May 14, 1607

http://www.apva.org/history/In 1606, King James of England sent a group of men out to establsih an English settlement in what was the Chesapeake region to look for gold and find a water route to China. John Smith and the rest of his company set foot on what would be Jamestown on this day, though only 60 of the 214 of the original crew members survived this daunting test.

Mayflower in Plymouth

Nov 11, 1620

http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compactAfter a long 66 days at sea crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the group of more than 100 English men and women arrived at Cape Cod Massachusets and sailed up toward Plymouth Rock.The settlers would sail to land on a small boat during the day to build houses and return back to the Mayflower at night until there were enough houses for everyone to live on land. They survived the harsh winter and were ready for a new start.

Bacon's Rebellion

Sep 19, 1676

http://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/bacons-rebellion.htmNathaniel Bacon was in constant oppposition with Virginia Governor William Berkeley due to Bacon's obsession with tearing apart local friendly Indian tribes agains Governor Berkeley's demands. After much fighting Bacon finaly took over Berkeley's position of power.Berkeley soon retaliated against Bacon and his men, causing Bacon to take out his anger on Jamestown, burning it to the ground on September 19,1676.

Founding of Georgia

Jun 9, 1732

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/james-oglethorpe-1696-1785After obtaining a charter from King George II, James Oglethorpe was able to officially establish the colony of Georgia.On the bank of the Savanna river he started a small group that acted as a place for all of Britain's poor people or those who were in debtors' prison to come for a chance at a fresh start in a new area. Georgia had three goals: military, philanthropic, and commercial.

The Great Awakening

Mar 18, 1734

http://www.ushistory.org/us/7b.aspColonial Christians in the New England area started to grow tired of the too structured religion they had been practicing and started to conform to a more outward show of religion. They realized that showing lots of outward emotion and energy during prayer and worship was the right way to honor God. This was a renewal of the spiritual mind and energy in the early 18th century.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

http://www.bostonmassacre.net/When British troops came into the Massachusetts area to enforce the extremely high tax demands, Boston colonists were not very happy. The tensions rose to a point where a confrontation was inevitable and a public disagreement developed. On March 5, 1776 five Boston colonists were shot to death in public by a group of the Royal troops.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.htmlThe Declaration of Independence is the most recognized and impactful symbol of United States' freedom.This document stated that the 13 colonies declared themselves as completely independent colonies from Great Britain, who they were at war with at the time. Many brave men signed their names and lives onto this document to ensure the freedom of their people.

The Treaty of Paris

Sep 3, 1783

http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/paris.htmlThe United States elected five members to negotiate this treaty with their oppressor, Great Britain. These men were John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and Henry Laurens. This treaty put a stop to the Revolutionary War and officially acknowledged the colonies as completely and utterly inddpendent.