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Founding of the Jamestown Colony
The first permanent English settlement in North America is Jamestown, Virginia. The Virginia Company of London, chartered by King James I, sent English men to settle in Jamestown. The birth of American democracy began in Jamestown. -
English Explorer John Rolfe Marries Pocahontas
John Rolfe was an English explorer, farmer and merchant known for being the first settler in the colony of Virginia to successfully grow and export tobacco. Rolfe married Pocahontas, the daughter of Indian chief Powhatan. The marriage was blessed by Chief Powhatan and the governor of Virginia, which created peace between the English colonists and the Powhatans. In 1615, Pocahontas had a son named Thomas. They sailed to England in 1616 to promote colonization and investment. -
Virginia House of Burgesses Convenes
Virginia House of Burgesses is the 1st representative assembly in the Americas lead by “Governor Sir George Yeardley, his 4 councilors, and 22 burgesses chosen by free, white male inhabitants, corporation, and large plantation throughout the colony.” The main purpose was “to establish one equal and uniform government over all Virginia” and introduce “just Laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people there inhabiting.”
https://historicjamestowne.org/history/the-first-general-assembly -
The Pilgrims Arrive in New England on the Mayflower
The Pilgrims were Puritan Separatists who believed the Church of England needed to be purified as they believed it became too similar to the Catholic Church.
The Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower, which was a cargo ship, in Cale Cod (now Massachusetts) after 66 days at sea. A few weeks later, the Pilgrims sailed up the coast to Plymouth and started to build homes for themselves. -
Colony of Massachusetts Bay
The Colony of Massachusetts Bay (1628–1691), was an English settlement on the east coast that covered much of central New England, including portions of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. This territory was run by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The first governor of Massachusetts was John Winthrop, and he served 12 terms. -
Maryland Colony Established
The Maryland colony was named in honor of the King’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. Leonard Calvert was 1st governor and Cecilias Calvert led expedition that esrablished 1st settlement and capital in St. Mary’s City. Settlements were primarily along the Chesapeake Bay where farms and trading posts were established. Tobacco was the primary crop being sold and shipped to England.
The Calvert’s ensured the colony charter was ensured religious freedom for Roman Yeah Catholics to escape England. -
Rhode Island Colony Established
Roger Williams, a Puritan separatist theologian and pastor, first settled the Providence Colony (now known as the Rhode Island Colony) after being banished from The Massachusetts Bay Colony over disagreements on how things were being governed such as combining church and state, and policies on Native Americans.
The Rhode Island Colony was the first to offer religious freedom, and negotiate fairly with Native Americans. -
Connecticut Colony Established
Led by Thomas Hooker, the colony was established as a settlement for a Puritan congregation from Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, and later became the state of Connecticut. It is also known as “The Constitution State” due to the founding document, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, was considered to be the first written constitution of a democratic government. -
Harvard University Is Founded
Harvard University is named after John Harvard who left an inheritance of “779 pounds sterling, and his library of some 400 books, to the Colony's new school.” It was founded in New Towne and changed to Cambridge in honor of Cambridge, England where many settlers went to college.
Harvard University, the 1st and oldest university in North America, was established due to the growing Puritan community and belief in the need to train clergy for the new commonwealth, a "church in the wilderness". -
New Amsterdam Becomes New York
The Dutch West India Company established the New Netherland Colony on 1624. New Amsterdam was the capital of New Netherland with a focus on fur trade.
In 1664, the Duke of York organized the take over the colony. The Dutch peacefully surrendered to the English. New Amsterdam was renamed the city New York in honor of the Duke of York.
The Dutch regained the settlement in 1673, and then it was returned to the English in 1674. New York was the 1st colonial city to get a royal charter in 1686.