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Roanoke
Roanoke was the first English colony, or settlement. Roanoke was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in August 1585. When he left in 1587 for England to get more supplies, he was delayed three years in England because of the war against Spain. When he finally returned to Roanoke, everyone had vanished. He spent his life searching for his family, but he never succeeded. It is still a mystery as to what happened to the vanished colony. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/roanoke-colony-deserted -
Jamestown
The Virginia Colony of London, a joint stock company, established Jamestown along the coast of Virginia. Jamestown was the first permanent British settlement. Only 38 of the original 150 settlers survived the first winter. The winter was very harsh, the settlement was in a swamp, the "gentlemen" refused to work, and the Native Americans were not very friendly and wanted the settlers to get off their land. All of this contributing to the low survival rate of the settlement. notes -
House of Burgesses
After his arrival in Jamestown in 1619, Governor George Yeardley gave notice that the Virginia colony voted to abolish martial law, and would establish a legislative assembly. Only white men who owned a specific amount of property were eligible to vote for Burgesses. Modeled after the English Parliament, the House of Burgesses was established in 1619. Members met at least once a year with their royal governor to decide local laws and determine local taxation. http://www.ushistory.org/us/2f.asp -
Great Migration
Puritans left England for the New World. They left England mainly because of religious persecution but also for economic reasons as well. The puritans were a sect of religious dissidents who felt the Church of England was too closely associated with the Catholic religion and needed to be reformed. They didn't want to create a new church, they just wanted to purify the church they already had, the Church of England. notes
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Plymouth Colony (and Mayflower and Mayflower Compact)
The Pilgrims (Separatists) settled the Plymouth Colony in 1620. One hundred Passengers set sail in the Mayflower for a location near the Hudson River. After 65 days at sea, the ship set anchor at Cape Cod. They decided to not continue the journey but to instead settle nearby. They created the Mayflower Compact, the first self government plan in the colonies, that pledged that the decisions would be made by the will of the majority of the colony's men. notes -
Salutary Neglect
This was the policy of the British government from the early to mid-18th century, 1621 to 1750. The supervision of internal colonial affairs was loose as long as the colonies remained loyal to the British government. During the period of salutary neglect, colonial legislatures spread their wings. Governors had the power to assemble and dismiss the legislature. They also served as commander in chief for the colony’s military forces. https://www.britannica.com/topic/salutary-neglect -
New York
The New York Colony was founded in 1624 by the Duke of York and other colonists. They received control of New Netherland and make it the colony of New York, and changed New Amsterdam to New York. Dutch landowners were given huge tracks of land that they could rent out to tenant farmers. They were able to keep their land even when the British gained control. Between 1652 and 1674, the Dutch and British fought 3 naval wars. -Middle Colony notes -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Puritans settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. About 1,000 Puritans settled there and the governor was John Winthrop. The Puritan laws governed the people and were tied to the beliefs of the Puritan Church. This colony became the largest and most influential New England colony eventually absorbing the Plymouth Colony. In the 1680s, the king gained control over the colony's government and in 1691, Massachusetts became a royal colony. notes -
Maryland
Maryland was settled by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, who convinced King Charles I to grant him 100 million acres for persecuted Catholics to settle. The colony was settled as a Proprietary colony meaning the owner of the colony was the ruler instead of the king and queen. Baltimore died, but his son, Cecil Calvert, took over. He offered 100 acres to every married couple. The Toleration Act of 1649 granted religious freedom to all Christians living in Maryland. -Southern Colony notes -
Rhode Island
Roger Williams and his supporters settled Rhode Island with his supporters, but he was then banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for speaking out against government authorities punishing religious dissention and against the confiscation of Native American land. He founded Rhode Island where there was no religious persecution of Christians. -New England Colony notes -
Connecticut
In 1636 Thomas Hooker and his congregation founded the river towns of Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield along the way to finding Connecticut. The word "Connecticut" was taken from a Native Indian phrase meaning “river whose water is driven by tides or winds.” The Fundamental Order of Connecticut was the first written constitution in North America. Citizenship was based on land ownership, not religion. -New England Colony notes
https://www.landofthebrave.info/connecticut-colony.htm -
Maryland Toleration Act
There was little religious freedom in England in 1649. Many dissenters from the Church of England sought freedom to worship by going to America. The English colonies were still under the King's authority, but across the seas they enjoyed a greater freedom. Maryland was established in America as a refuge for Catholics and Protestants. The Toleration Act granted religious freedom to them. https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1601-1700/maryland-toleration-act-11630122.html -
Carolina
King Charles II granted 8 supporters land in the Carolinas. With easy access to the trade in the West Indies, people settled there to grow cash crops like rice, indigo, and tobacco. Cash crops are gown for the purpose of selling. These labor intensive crops required a huge labor force. By 1720, African slaves outnumbered European settlers in the Carolinas 2:1. In 1729, Carolina became a royal colony and was split into North and South Carolina. -Southern Colony notes -
Bacon's Rebellion
In 1673, Nathaniel Bacon emigrated from England. After failing to extract a promise of action against the tribes, Bacon recruited a small armed force in 1676. Bacon became a hero and was elected to the House of Burgesses, but was soon arrested. Released, Bacon raised a small army again. The governor and burgesses hastily fled and enacted measures designed to subdue the Indians. Berkeley returned with soldiers of his own and branded Bacon a rebel. https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h521.html -
Pennsylvania
in 1681 King Charles II granted William Penn a charter for the colony of Pennsylvania. Penn established the colony as a "Holy Experiment", a place without a landowning aristocracy where every male settler received 50 acres and the right to vote. In the 1660s, Penn became a Quaker and his colony soon became a safe haven for Quakers. Quakers were often ridiculed for their simplicity of speech and clothing. They were also persecuted for rejecting the 17th century church. -Middle Colony notes -
Salem Witch Trials
A wave of hysteria swept through Salem Village, Massachusetts when young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and when the village started accusing some women of witchcraft. 150 people were imprisoned for witchcraft, 7 died in prison, 19 men and women were found guilty and hung, and 1 person was crushed to death for refusing to testify. The hysteria ended in 1692 with public opinion turning against the trials. notes -
Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a religious revival that impacted the English colonies during the 1730s and 1740s. Christian leaders often traveled from town to town, preaching about the gospel. The result was a renewed dedication toward religion. Around this time, the 13 colonies were religiously divided. But the stage was set for a renewal of faith, and in the late 1720s, a revival began to take root as preachers altered their messages. https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening -
Albany Plan (of the Union)
A plan to create a unified government for the 13 colonies was suggested by Benjamin Franklin at the Albany Congress on July 10, 1754 in Albany, New York. The Plan was the first important proposal to view all of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government, although it never was carried out. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/albany-plan -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War lasted from 1756 to 1763. In the early 1750s, France’s expansion in the new world repeatedly brought it into conflict with the British colonies. The British declared war, but their new commander in America met with little success against the French and their Indian allies. The tide turned in 1757 because the new British leader saw the colonial conflicts as the key to building an empire. https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was declared by the British crown at the end of the French and Indian War in North America. After Indian grievances had resulted in the start of Pontiac’s War, British authorities determined to stop colonial rivalries by dealing with Native American problems. The proclamation started new British settlements in America. It stopped settlement on Native American territory and ordered the settlers already there to leave. https://www.britannica.com/event/Proclamation-of-1763
