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Roanoke
The Roanoke Island colony was founded in 1585 by Sir Walter Raleigh. The first colonists did not do well there, because they were low on supplies and were having Indian attacks. In 1586, they returned to England. One year later they sent another 100 people to Roanoke. Their leader, John White, went back to England to get more supplies. When he returned in 1590, everyone was gone. What happened to the colonists remains a mystery. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/roanoke-colony-deserted -
Jamestown
On May 5th, 1607 about 100 people came to America under Christopher Newport and John Smith. They landed on the James river, on a peninsula. The colonists suffered, drinking contaminated water and were being attacked by native americans. People were starving and many died. They were about to leave and go back to England until a ship came with more people and supplies. The people came to an understanding with the native americans, and traded with them for things like corn. -
Connecticut
In 1614 Adriaen Block went to present day Connecticut and claimed the land for New Netherlands. They set up a fur trade there with Native Americans. In 1636 Thomas Hooker led his church to Connecticut. Thomas found the colony, and was one of the leaders. The people of Connecticut were very friendly with the Native Americans, and it was key to their success. (http://www.smplanet.com/teaching/colonialamerica/colonies/connecticut) -
New York (New Netherlands)
In 1614 the dutch settled in new york. In 1626 the governor, Peter Minuit, bought Manhattan from native americans with jewelry for what is valued as $24. In 1644, the British and the Dutch fought over New York, and the British won, making it a British colony.(https://www.historycentral.com/TheColonies/NY1.html) -
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first governing body in Britain colonies. It started out as the Governing Assembly of Virginia. Two elected delegates from each of the eleven colonies and the Colonial Proprietor would appoint a governor and a council. They would meet in Jamestown, -
Great migration
When the Pilgrims came to America in 1620, to build a "City Upon a Hill". John Winthrop led eight hundred people to the Americas for religious freedom. Within the next ten years, twenty thousand people came and followed Winthrop. Soon other people began to arrive for different reasons (debtors, people who wanted more land, or people who wanted a new start) and the population grew very fast, and is known as the Great Migration. (www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com) -
Mayflower Compact
When The pilgrims arrived to Plymouth, Virginia, they knew they needed some form of government in the new world. They created the Mayflower Compact in November 11, 1620, and it was the first form of self government in the colonies. It created laws so that the colony would succeed, not be lawless and that they would work together as one society in the christian faith. (https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower-compact) -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a British colony, and one of the most successful and profitable colonies in north america. It was founded by puritans during the Great Migration. It became an official colony on March 4, 1629 when King Charles granted the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter. John Winthrop was their Governor. The town the colonists settled was named Boston, after their hometown in England. By 1640, 40000 colonists moved there, making it very successful. historyofmassachusetts.org -
Maryland
Maryland was founded by George Calvert in 1633, for religious freedom. It was a southern colony, and had many plantations. Its economy was based on agriculture, and other trades, such as shipbuilding. They had many slaves in Maryland, to work their massive plantations. (https://www.landofthebrave.info/maryland-colony.htm) -
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Colony was founded by Roger Williams in 1636. Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts for religious tolerance, so he started his own colony. It became a major hub for trade and shipping. Today it is the smallest state in the United states, and it was also the smallest colony. (https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/rhode-island) -
Maryland Toleration Act
The Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 was an act that made it illegal to blaspheme god, and ensured religous freedom for all christian settlers in Maryland. The act now applies to all religous freedom and not just for Christianity. (https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/868/maryland-toleration-act-of-1649) -
Carolina
In 1663, King Charles II gave 8 noblemen land south of Virginia. They named it Carolina. In 1669 the first settlers came to Carolina. They came up with a government called the "Fundamental Constitution of the Carolina's". Many colonists got malaria, and the land was swampy, so the colony grew slowly. The north and south had different cultures, so they split up in 1712, creating North Carolina, and South Carolina. (https://www.historycentral.com/TheColonies/Carolinas.html) -
Bacon's Rebellion
In 1673, Nathaniel Bacon moved to Jamestown. He was elected on the Governor's Council. The people were fighting over land with the Native Americans, even though the land belonged to the natives. Bacon led two raids on them. The people were happy with him, and he was elected into the House of Burgesses. Later, he created a small army and marched into Jamestown. The rebellion ended quickly, because Bacon became sick and died in 1676. (https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h521.html) -
Salem Witch Trials
In 1692, some young women in Salem, Massachusetts, claimed to be possesed by the Devil. People were accusing women of being witches, and led to mass hysteria. More and more people were accused, ripping apart families. The people accused of witchcraft were either hanged, or went to jail. The book "The Crucible" was based on these events. -
The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a religious revival in the 1700s. It happened in the 13 colonies, and it was based on salvation. Preachers traveled the colonies to give their speeches. Some pastors even scared people to faith, such as Johnathon Edwards. He preached about how God will condemn people to hell if they don't repent. Edwards was a big part of the religious movement, because his sermons worked so well. The Awakening changed america. (www.history.com) -
French-Indian War
The French-Indian War was a war between Great Britain and France. They were fighting over the control of the colonies, and most of north america. It was also called "The Nine Years War" because it lasted nine years.The french were allies with natives, because they were a lot kinder, and traded with them.The french lost the war, and were forced to sign the "Treaty of Paris". The french gave up Canada to Britain, and the war was over. (www.britannica.com) -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan is a document written by Benjamin Franklin that called for the colonies to unify in 1754. The plan was rejected by king George the 2nd, and by some other colonies. The Plan was very significant, however, because it was one of the first attempts at Unifying the colonies. (https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/albany-plan-of-union/) -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763, also known as the Treaty of Paris, was a document signed by the french and british at the end of the French-Indian War agreeing that Britain would end up getting huge tracks of land in North America. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/9a.asp) -
Salutary Neglect
Salutary Neglect was the relaxation of trade laws Great Britain gave the colonists in 1775. The colonists would trade with other countries, and prosper, allowing the colonies to operate independantly from Britain economically and politically. The british king tightened it, making the laws more strict, and a key to the start of the revolution. (https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/salutary_neglect#start_entry) -
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn On December 12, 1787. The colony was a royal colony, with most of the population being Quakers. The quakers had a big tolorance, so pennsylvania became a melting pot. (https://www.historycentral.com/TheColonies/PA.html)