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Roanoke
In August 1587, a group of about 115 English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. It was decided that John White, who was the governor of the new colony, would sail back to England in order to gather a fresh load of supplies. When White returned he saw no trace of of the colony or its inhabitants. So it became considered as the "Lost Colony" and it was the 1st British settlement.
https://www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke -
Jamestown https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm
The journey to Virginia began on three ships the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. They picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, named after King James I. It was surrounded by water on three sides which meant it was easily defensible against Spanish attacks. The site was also not inhabited by the Native population. Jamestown was the 1st permanent British settlement. -
House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses was the 1st legislature made up of electoral representatives. The General Assembly (a meeting) was established by Gov. George Yeardley at Jamestown on July 30, 1619. The House of Burgesses granted supplies and originated laws. This system stayed up until the American Revolution. https://www.britannica.com/topic/House-of-Burgesses -
Mayflower/Plymouth/Mayflower Compact https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower-compact
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers. It established the foundation for the colony's government and was the 1st self government plan in the colonies. But after bad storms, the settlers landed in Massachusetts, near Cape Cod, instead of northern Virginia. Knowing life without laws could be dangerous, colonist leaders created the Mayflower Compact to ensure a functioning social structure would be more efficient. -
Great Migration
English migration to Massachusetts made up of a few hundred pilgrims who went to Plymouth Colony in the 1620s. The Puritans left England mainly do that England was in religious turmoil. The religious climate was hostile and threatening, especially towards religious nonconformists like the puritans. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-great-puritan-migration/ -
Massachusetts Bay Colony https://www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts-Bay-Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled by a group of Puritan refugees from England. It was led by John Winthrop. In 1629 the Massachusetts Bay Company had obtained from King Charles I a charter empowering the company to trade and colonize in New England between the Charles and Merrimack rivers. The patentees decided to transfer to Massachusetts. They paved the way for local management and established the assumption that the charter for a commercial company. -
Maryland
The Maryland Colony was founded by Cecil Calvert and others in 1633 at Baltimore. The Maryland Colony was named after King Charles I's wife named Queen Henrietta Maria. The Maryland Colony was founded as a refuge for English Catholics. Natural resources included forests, fish, and good farming land. In 1776 the Maryland Colony signed the Declaration of Independence. http://www.softschools.com/facts/13_colonies/maryland_colony_facts/2037/ -
Connecticut
The Connecticut Colony was founded in 1636 by Thomas Hooker and other colonists, at Hartford. In the same year a trading post was established on the Connecticut river by members of the Plymouth Colony. The major industry was agriculture. There was no religious freedom in the areas by the Puritans. In 1637 the Pequots were defeated by the colonists. https://www.landofthebrave.info/connecticut-colony.htm -
Maryland Toleration Act
The act was meant to ensure freedom of religion for Christian settlers. It made it a crime to blaspheme God, the Holy Trinity or the Virgin Mary. It also forbade one resident from referring to another’s religion in a harsh way and it provided for honoring the Sabbath. Maryland voided this law from 1654 to 1661 and from 1692 to the end of the Revolutionary period. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/868/maryland-toleration-act-of-1649 -
Salutary Neglect
Salutary Neglect was a British Policy in the 13 colonies that allowed the colonists to violate the laws related with trade. The British reversed their policy to raise taxes in the colonies to pay for the massive war debt that came during the French and Indian Wars. The reversal of the policy of Salutary Neglect led to a rebellion in the colonies including the the Boston Tea Party, the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. https://www.landofthebrave.info/salutary-neglect.htm -
New York
The New York Colony was a Dutch colony called New Amsterdam that was founded by Peter Minuit in 1626 on Manhattan Island. In 1664 the Dutch surrendered the colony to the English and it was renamed New York, after the Duke of York. The New York Colony declared its independence on July 9th, 1776. In June, 1777, the New York Colony elected its first governor, George Clinton. http://www.softschools.com/facts/13_colonies/new_york_colony_facts/2043/ -
Bacon's rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon lead a group of rebels in a bloody battle against William Berkeley. Forces would be coming in an attempt to take his militia down. Bacon and his armed rebels ransacked their colonial capital, threatened its governor and upended Virginia’s social order. The significance of this rebellion was that it was the 1st rebellion against royal control and laws making Africans hereditary slaves were passed. https://www.history.com/news/bacons-rebellion-jamestown-colonial-america -
Pennsylvania http://www.softschools.com/facts/13_colonies/pennsylvania_colony_facts/2048/
The Pennsylvania Colony was founded by William Penn and others in 1682. Penn established colony as "Holy Experiment". Penn became a quaker and its colony soon became a haven for quakers. The Pennsylvania Colony was named by King Charles II. Slavery was legal in the Pennsylvania Colony. Free African-Americans were controlled by law and treated differently than whites. The Pennsylvania Colony became a U.S. state in December 1787. -
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials began in 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused some women of witchcraft. A wave of hysteria swept through the area. In September, the hysteria had begun to go away and the publics opinion turned against the trials. https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials -
Carolina
The Stuart King, Charles I, was beheaded as the result of a civil war in 1649. This disruption caused a temporary distraction from colonizing the New World. Cash crops were grown for the purpose of selling rather than being grown for just farmer use. Slavery existed here, but in far smaller numbers than in the neighboring regions. African slaves outnumbered European settlers 2:1. In 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina became distinct colonies. http://www.ushistory.org/us/5c.asp -
Great Awakening https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening
In the 1730s, a religious improvement swept through the British American colonies. Jonathan Edwards became concerned that New Englanders were becoming too concerned with worldly matters. The Great Awakening was a response against the Enlightenment, it was also a long term cause of the Revolution. The Great Awakening introduced philosophies, ideas and doctrines to the forefront of Christian faith. Some included all people are born sinners and sin without salvation will send a person to hell. -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan of Union was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754. Franklin's plan was meant to reform colonial-imperial relations and to address shared colonial interest more effectively. On July 10, the Congress adopted a final version of the plan. However, it was rejected by King George II and by all the individual colonial governments but it was still significant as it was the first attempt. https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/albany-plan-of-union/ -
French-Indian War https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war
A series of battles led to the official British declaration of war in 1756. The British turned the tide with victories at Louisbourg, Fort Frontenac and the French-Canadian stronghold of Quebec. The Seven Years’ War lasted from 1756 to 1763. During 1754, the French won. In 1756 the British declared war but their new commander, Lord Loudoun, faced the same problems as his predecessors and met with little success against the French and their Indian allies. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was founded by the British at the end of the French and Indian War to pacify Native Americans by checking the invasion of European settlers on their lands. It created a boundary between the British colonies and American Indian lands. In response King George III declared all lands west of the Appalachian Divide off-limits to colonial settlers. It failed to stem the tide of westward expansion. https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/1763-proclamation-of -
Rhode Island
Roger Williams founded the colony in 1636. He gave them religious and political freedom. It was one of the most liberal colonies. On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island became the last of the original 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution. Some people think the state was named "Roode Eylandt," meaning "Red Island," in 1614 by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block because of its red clay shores. Rhode Island is also known as the "Ocean State." http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/usaweb/snapshot/Rhode_Island.htm
