Colonial America Timeline

The British wanted to establish a foothold in the Americas. 115 colonists traveled to Roanoke being led by John White. Not long after the arrival, the first child born in the Americas to English parents was born. When White returned to the colony after going back to England, he found that the colonists were no where to be found. He assumed they went to a nearby island, and they were never seen or heard from again.
https://www.ducksters.com/history/colonial_america/lost_colony_of_roanoke.php

The Virginia Company of Candon established Jamestown along the coast of Virginia in 1607. The colony got off to a very rough start due to the harsh winter, the settlement being on a swamp, the natives not being friendly, and the men refusing to work. Tobacco became the first profitable crop of the colony. This caused Jamestown to thrive.
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/jamestown

The House of Burgesses was the first legislature in America. It was located in Virginia. The first order of business it was challenged with was to set a minimum price for tobacco. The house soon became a symbol of a representative government. The house could make laws, and these laws could be vetoed. When Virginia became a royal colony, England got control of the house and this greatly restricted the powers of the house.
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/houseofburgesses.htm

In September 1620, people started traveling on the Mayflower and landed in Massachusetts in November. They established the first colony in New England called Plymouth.They wanted to leave England due to the religious persecution, but also for economic reasons. The separatists wanted to move away because they believed the church was corrupt. So they separated from the church and moved away to Massachusetts.
https://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-great-puritan-migration/

In 1620, the pilgrims settled the Plymouth Colony. They arrived to Cape Cod by way of the Mayflower; a ship that carried about 100 people, including 35 pilgrims. The Mayflower Compact established the colony's government. It was the first self government plan established in the colonies and it pledged that decisions would be made by the colony's men. The Mayflower compact was an early, successful attempt at democracy in the colonies.
www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower-compact

Salutary Neglect started when the first settlers made it to America. It happened until after the French and Indian war. The policy was unofficial, and it was initiated by Robert Walpole. It was made to relax the enforcement of strict regulations imposed on the colonies in the 1600s and 1700s. This was imposed so that Britain could focus its attention better on European politics. This left the colonies to make their own government.
https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/salutary_neglect

New York was a Middle Colony settled by the Dutch in 1624. The Dutch called it New Amsterdam, before being changed to New York by the Duke of York in 1664. There was no specific religion that dominated New York and people were free to worship what they chose. New York was ideal for farming because of its mild climate. Natural resources in the New York colony included: agricultural land, coal, furs, forestry, and iron ore.
http://www.softschools.com/facts/13_colonies/new_york_colony_facts/2043/

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1630 by about 1000 puritans. They were led by John Winthrop. This colony became the most influential and largest New England colony. By 1643, 20000 English settlers joined the puritans. Even though the puritans were outnumbered, they remained in control due to the fact only male members of the church could vote. The Massachusetts Bay Colony eventually became a royal colony.
https://historyofmassachusetts.org/history-of-the-massachusetts-bay-colony/

Maryland was a southern colony founded by Lord Baltimore in 1632. Lord Baltimore convinced King Charles I to grant 100 million acres of land for persecuted Catholics to settle. Maryland was a proprietary colony which meant the owner of the colony ruled the colony, instead of being ruled by the king or queen. The Toleration Act of 1649 granted religious freedom to any Christian living in Maryland.
https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-the-maryland-colony-103875

Rhode Island was a New England colony founded by Roger Williams in 1635. Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for speaking against the government. He founded Rhode Island where there was no religious persecution of Christians. Rhode Island was a progressive colony. It was a fierce colony against the church and the state, and it attracted persecuted religious groups such as Quakers and Jews.
https://www.thoughtco.com/rhode-island-colony-103880

Connecticut was a New England Colony settled by Thomas Hooker in 1636. The first written constitution in North America was the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut and unlike Massachusetts, citizenship was not based on religion, but land ownership. The Connecticut colony had many natural resources including: fish, whales, timber, and some farming.
http://www.softschools.com/facts/13_colonies/connecticut_colony_facts/2034/

The Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 granted religious freedom to all Christians living in Maryland. The Act was passed by the assembly of the Province of Maryland. This law was the first in America to specifically state that their was "free exercise" of religion. The law protected Christians in the Maryland colony.
https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/868/maryland-toleration-act-of-1649

Carolina was a Southern colony, settled in 1663 by supporters of King Charles II. Carolina was known for their cash crops. Cash crops were grown for the purpose of profit, rather than farmer use. These cash crops were very labor intensive. By 1720, the amount of African slaves outnumbered the European settlers living in the Carolinas 2:1. In 1729, Carolina was split into North & South Carolina and they became royal colonies.
www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Province_of_Carolina

Bacon's rebellion was the first colonial rebellion against royal control. White farmers and landholders were given more rights, but the planter class were the ones who held power. Laws were passed that made Africans hereditary slaves. The rebellion was an uprising against the colonial government and American Indians in the Virginia colony. Sir William Berkeley fought against Bacon and won. Bacon died of Dysentery and his co-conspirators were hung.
www.landofthebrave.info/bacons-rebellion.htm

Pennsylvania was a middle colony, founded in 1682 by William Penn. Penn established the colony as a "Holy Experiment." Every male settler received 50 acres of land and the right to vote. Pennsylvania soon became a safe haven for Quakers, this resulted in the Society of Friends, which was formally established in 1668. The Quakers in Pennsylvania were often made fun of due to their simple clothing, speech, and their pacifist beliefs.
https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/pennsylvania

A wave of hysteria swept through Salem when young girls in claimed to be possessed by the devil. Some local women were accused of witchcraft. 150 people were imprisoned, 7 died in prison, 19 men and women were found guilty and 1 was crushed for refusing to testify. All the hysteria ended in Sept.1692. The cause for the hysteria in unknown but there are many theories to what could have cause the mass hysteria causing many deaths.
historyofmassachusetts.org/the-salem-witch-trials/

The Enlightenment was a religious revival that impacted the English Colonies in the 1730s. The movement was led by Johnathan Edwards. The Enlightenment came when secular rationalism was being highlighted and religion had become tired. Christian leaders decided to preach about their religion and taught about salvation to many. This resulted in a renewed devotion to religion. This renewal had a lasting impact on Christian denominations.
www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening

The Albany Plan was a plan to put the colonies under a more centralized government. The plan was adopted through a large meeting of representatives of the colonial governments. Although the plan was never carried out, the Albany plan was the first proposal to accept the colonies as a collective whole under one united government. Despite the Albany Plan failing, it conceived the colonies as a collective unit.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/albany-plan

The French and Indian War was the North American conflict in a larger war between Great Britain and France. The war was a result of land tensions from the British, French, and colonists wanting to expand their territory. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war provided Britain enormous gains of territory in North America, but conflicts between the colonies and Britain led to the American Revolution.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war

The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by the British and the end of the French-Indian War to appease the Native Americans by checking the invasion of European settlers on their land. King George III declared on lines west of the proclamation line, was off-limits to settlers. It was the first measure to affect all the 13 colonies. The only people who could now trade with the Native Americans were licensed traders.
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/1763-proclamation-of