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Roanoke
The first British settlement that was under the leadership of John White. It will eventually become part of North Carolina. After White went to England and returned to Roanoke 3 years later, the settlement was deserted. The words CROATOAN and CRO were the only clues to what happened to the settlement. After many tries, White was never able to raise enough funds to return to America and find his family and other settlers. (notes) -
Jamestown
This was the first permanent British settlement. Jamestown got off to a rough start though because it was built on a swamp, the men refused to work, the winter was very bad, and the Native Americans were not friendly. Tobacco was the saving grace for Jamestown which was brought to them by John Rolfe and his wife, Pocahontas in 1612. (notes) -
House of Burgesses
It was established at Jamestown and it was the first legislature made up of elected representatives in North America. Property owners were the only people who could vote to elect representatives in the House of Burgesses. Although in 1624, Virginia Company's charter was revoked and it became a royal colony under King James I. (notes) -
Mayflower/Plymouth/Mayflower Compact
The Plymouth colony was settled by the Pilgrims. Around 100 passengers and 35 Pilgrims went aboard the Mayflower to later end up near the Hudson River. The first self government plan in the colonies was the Mayflower Compact and it established the foundation for the colony's government. (notes) -
The Great Puritan Migration
English Puritans migrated to New England, Chesapeake, and the West Indies during this time. The migration consisted of a hundred plus pilgrims and over 13,000 emigrants. They primarily left due to religious persecution, but also for economic reasons as well. (https://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-great-puritan-migration/) -
New York
New York is a Middle colony and was settled by the Dutch in 1624. Before it was named New York, the Dutch called the area New Netherlands and New York City was New Amsterdam. The Dutch and the British fought three naval wars between 1652-1674. Before the fighting Dutch was in control until they surrendered to the British. In 1673 the Dutch recaptured the area for a short time before it was quickly returned to British control. It was renamed for the Duke of York as we know it today. (notes) -
Massachusets Bay Colony
This colony was settled by the Puritans. 1000 Puritans settled in Massachusetts with a charter from King Charles I. This became the largest and most influential New England colony and it overpowered the Plymouth Colony. (notes) -
Maryland
This is a Southern Colony and was settled by Lord Baltimore. It was originally settled as a Proprietary Colony. After Baltimore died, Protestants took over and his Catholic haven became mostly Protestant. Due to that situation, the Toleration Act of 1649 was set granting religious freedom to all Christians living in Maryland. (notes) -
Rhode Island
This is a New England colony. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams after he was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for speaking out against government authorities. There is no religious persecution of Christians here. (notes) -
Maryland Toleration Act
This act granted religious freedom to all Christians living in Maryland. This needed to happen because Protestants were taking over and changed the Catholic haven over to Protestant. (notes) -
Carolina
This colony was a Southern Colony and was settled by Supporters of King Charles II. The Carolinas had easy trade access so they grew cash crops like rice, indigo, and tobacco. By 1720, African slaves outnumbered European settlers 2:1 because of the demand for labor in their crops. In 1729, it became a royal colony and split into North and South Carolina. (notes) -
Connecticut
This is a New England colony and was settled by Thomas Hooker in 1663. Connecticut had constitution known as the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut which was the first written constitution in North America. In this colony, citizenship was based on land ownership, not religion. (notes) -
Bacon's Rebellion
This was the first colonial rebellion against royal control. During this time, as the planter class remained in power, white farmers and landholders were given more rights. Some laws were passed, one of which made Africans hereditary slaves. The rebellion soon ended after Bacon's death from dysentery. (notes) -
Pennsylvania
This is a Middle Colony settled by William Penn. Penn established this colony as a "holy experiment" as a place without a landowning aristocracy. In 1660, Penn became a Quakers and the colony soon became a haven for Quakers. (notes) -
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials came into action when young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused local women of witchcraft. At that accusation, a wave of hysteria swept through the area. 150 people were imprisoned, 7 died, and 19 men and women were found guilty. (notes) -
Great Awakening/Enlightenment
The Great Awakening was a time of clarity for Americans in many ways. Some realized that money was more important than John Calvin's religious principles. The Enlightenment took place in Europe. It was a time of human reasoning which helped us get to where we are now and it improved the lives of mankind. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/7b.asp) (https://www.britannica.com/event/Enlightenment-European-history) -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan was a plan to get all the British North American colonies together to form a more centralized government. The reason for doing this was to join into one government before they were attacked. It was between Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. It was never carried out but it was still very important. (https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/albany-plan) -
French-Indian War
This war was a North American conflict in the larger war between Great Britain and France called the Seven Years' War. It helped Great Britain gain more land in North America. Sadly, this will eventually lead to the American Revolution due to disputes over land. It finally ended in 1763 due to the Treaty of Paris. (https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war) -
Proclamation of 1763
This was made by King George III in his hopes to placate the Indians while buying time to develop a long-range plan. This prohibited settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was another time that will lead up to the American Revolution. (https://www.historyisfun.org/learn/learning-center/what-was-the-proclamation-of-1763/) -
Salutary Neglect
It was a system of loose control over the colonies and a relaxed enforcement of trade laws. It was initiated by Robert Walpole. It was hoped that this would change Britain's focus and place it on European politics to ground its role as a world power. (https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/salutary_neglect)
