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Roanoke
Roanoke was the first British settlement. In 1587 100 people settled there with John White's leadership. This settlement became apart of North Carolina. Raleigh and White went back to England for supplies. They returned to Roanoke 3 years later and everyone was gone. The only clue left for the men was the word CROATOAN carved into a nearby tree. There is no official conclusion as to where the people went. But Roanoke became known as the last colony. -
Jamestown
In 1607, the Virginia Company established a colony along the Coast of Virginia. The colony, led by John Smith, started rough with only 38 survivors after the first winter. In 1612, John Rolfe and his wife experimented with tobacco and profitable exports. Unfortunately it was very labor intensive and used a lot of land. Indentured servants were used first in the fields. By March 1622, Native Americans killed 25%of the European settlers in Jamestown(notes). -
Salutary Neglect
This was a policy of the British governments that stated that North American colonies where trade regulations for the colonies were lightly enforced and imperial supervision of internal colonial affairs was loose as long as the colonies remained loyal to British Rule. This contributed to the increasing autonomy of colonial legal and legislative institutions(britannica.com). -
House of Burgesses
In April 1619, Govner George Yeardley arrived in Virginia from England to announce that the Virginia Company voted to abolish martial law. So they made the House of Burgesses (originally The General Assembly). They met on July 30th, 1619 in Jamestown. This was the first legislature made up of elective representatives. But only white property owners could vote who was included in the House. -
The Great Migration
A few hundred pilgrims and emigrants left England due to religious persecution and some economic issues. The Plymouth Colony promised to finance their trip to North America in return of harvesting supplies, like fur, timber and fish, being sent back to England. The trip was taken on the Mayflower and they landed off the coast of Massachusetts in November. This is where the first English settlement was made, which is also known as the Plymouth Colony. -
Mayflower Compact/Mayflower
This was a set of rules given to the settlers who traveled on the Mayflower by the English. When they set out they were hoping to land in Virginia but ended up more into Massachusetts, near cape cod. They believed a colony without law would cause catastrophe. So, they created the Mayflower compact to ensure peace and justice and fairness. -
New York
The Dutch first settled along the Hudson river. Later in 1626, Peter Minuit established a colony on Manhattan Island. The Dutch surrendered the colony to the English in 1664, the name changed to New York, after the Duke of York. New York helped political and strategic roles during the American Revolution(Softschools.com). During the span of 1892-1954, millions of immigrants arrived in New York Harbor. They then passed through Ellis island on their journey onto becoming US citizens(History.com). -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay company got charter empowering the company to trade and colonized in New England. Then in 1630 a group of 1000 Puritan Refugees from England under Gov. John Winthrop and Deputy Gov. Thomas Dudley. This not only paved a way for the local management, but they also established the assumption that the charter for a commercial company was in reality a political constitution for a new governor with only indefinable dependence upon the imperial one in England(britannica.com). -
Maryland
Lord Baltimore was a Catholic who was granted 10 million acres to settle Catholics. Maryland was a proprietary colony meaning that the British king or queen weren't in charge. The owner of the colony was. Lord Baltimore unfortunately dies before he could do anything with the colony. But, on the other hand, his son, Cecil Calvert, took over the colony. He allowed every married couple that settled there 100 aces. Therefore, protestants took over most of the colon(notes). -
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is a New England colony which was settled in 1635 by Roger Williams. Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts Bay colony for speaking out against government authorities punishing religious dissention and against the confiscation of Native American land. He founded Rhode Island and made it where there was no religious prosecution of Christians(notes). -
Connecticut
In 1636 Thomas Hooker, a puritan minister, led his followers west and they built Hartford. The Connecticut colony mirrored Massachusetts Bay practices. In 1639 citizens enacted the 1st western constitution in the western hemisphere. The fundamental orders of Connecticut called for an elected governor and two house legislatures. Then, in 1637, John Davenport formed a 2nd colony which revolved around New Haven. But, this one had more strict religious rules. -
Maryland Toleration Act
This law required religious tolerance for Christians. It was the second law for religious tolerance in the British Northern colonies. It limited the amount of hate speech aloud. But, the downfall was that is persecuted all who didn't believe. -
Carolina
Carolina was founded by eight noble men with a royal charter from King Charles II. It became one of the wealthiest early colonies because of exports of cotton, rice, tobacco, and indigo dye. Unrest with the native population and fear of rebellion from enslaved people led white settlers to seek protection from the English crown. As a result, it became a royal colony in 1729 and was divided into a North and South(thoughtco.com). -
Bacon's Rebellion
There was a local dispute with Doeg Indians on Potomac River. After the natives were chased by Virginia militiamen, they raised Virginia frontier. Then, Sir William Berkeley persuaded the general assembly to adopt a plan that isolated Susquehannocks while bringing in Indian allies. Nathaniel Bacon was chosen as the leader of the council for a chance to fight the indians.no one was volunteering to fight but he \lead against Virginia's closest allies. this lead to war between Bacon and Berkeley. -
Pennsylvania
King Charles II granted William Penn a charter for the colony of Pennsylvania. He made it a "Holy experiment". This is where he made it have no landowning aristocracy and every male was allowed the right to vote and 50 acres. In the 1660's, he became a Quaker and then this colony turned into a safe place for people like himself(Americanhistoryusa.com). -
Salem Witch Trials
Young girls in Salem claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women. A wave of hysteria spread throughout Massachusetts. By September, 1692, the hysteria began to abate and public opinion turned against trials. The general court eventually annulled guilty verdicts but anger and bitterness still lingered among the community. The witch trials and accusations were fused by suspicion and hatred towards one another (history.com). -
Great Awakening
This was a great revival that impacted English settlements in the Americas greatly. This movement came when the idea of secular rationalism was being emphasized, and religion was growing. god's followers would typically go town to town preaching about the word of God. In the end, many turned to God and faith was a lot stronger (history.com). -
Albany Plan
This was a proposal introduced by Benjamin Franklin during the Albany Congress. This plan called for the formation of a permanent federation of colonies, to reform colonial-imperial relations and to more effectively address shared colonial interests. The final plan was adopted on July 10th. This marked the first official attempt to develop inter-colonial cooperation among the American Colonies. -
French-Indian War
This marked another long issue between Britain and France. Because of constant conflict, the official declaration of war was made in 1756. Led by the financing of future Prime Minister William Pitt, British turned the tide with victories at Louisbourg. In 1763 at the peace conference, the British received the territories of Canada from France and Florida from Spain, opening Mississippi Valley area for trading (history.com). -
Proclamation of 1763
This was appealed by the British at the end of the French-Indian war. It created a boundary knowns as the Proclamation line. It separated the British colonies from any invaders along the coast. It has now become of of the cornerstones of America(history.com).