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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
English nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. It was the first document to place restrictions on an English ruler's power. The Magna Carta also limited the monarch's right to levy taxes without consulting the nobles. Lastly it protected the right to own private property and guaranteed the right to trial by jury. -
Jan 1, 1492
In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail
In 1492 about 90 Spaniards set sail on the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. -
Jan 1, 1533
King Henry Broke Away From Catholic Church
King Henry VIII wanted a divorce when his wife did not produce male heir to the English throne. He then broke away from the Catholic Church in 1533 and set up a Protestant Church, which was then named the Church of England. -
Jan 1, 1565
St. Augustine
Spain built a fort called St. Augustine in fear that France might take over the area. It was the first European settlement in what is now the United States. -
Juan de Onate's expedition to Mexico
Juan aimed to find gold, convert Native Americans to Christianity, and establsih a permanent colony. He never found gold buut in 1598 he established Spain's first permanent settelment in the region at Santa Fe. -
French colonists began to farm in large numbers.
This was because the market for furs in Europe was in decline. Another reason was the disruption that Indian wars brought to the fur trade. After settlers arrived in New France, the population began to expand . New France had about 5,000 colonists bye 1672. -
Henry Hudson's search for the northwest passage
Hudson made four voyages in search of the northwest passage, but two were unseccessful in 1607 and 1608. His English backers gave up on him. The Dutch then grew interested in his activities and financed a third expedition in 1609. After crossing the Atlantic, he ended up in what is now New York and explored up the river that is now named after him, the Hudson River. -
The Mayflower Compact
In September 1620, about 100 Pilgrims sailed for Virginia on the Mayflower. They arrived safely in North America, but decided they needed some type of laws. Forty one men then signed the Mayflower Compact which called for a government that would make and follow " just and equal laws. " -
Massachusetts Bay Company
About 900 Puritans set off in 11 ships. They had formaed the Massachusetts Bay Company, which received a charter to establish settlements in what are now Massachusetts and New Hampshire. -
Act of Toleration
Lord Baltimore became proprietor. Soon after, there was tension between Protestants and Catholics. In 1649, he got the assembly to pass the Act of Toleration. -
Navigation Acts
In 1651, the English Parliament passed the first of several Navigation Acts to support mercantilism. First, shipments from Europe to English colonies had to go through England first. Next, any imports to England from the colonies had to come in ships built and owned by British subjects. Lastly,the colonies could sell key products, such as tobacco and sugar, only to England. -
Nathaniel Bacon's Rabellion
In 1675 Bacon organized a force a force of 2,000 westerners and began attacking and killing Native Americans. The governor declared that he and his men were rebels . He then reacted by attacking Jamestown burning it to the ground, forcing the governor to run away. -
The Holy Experiment
William Penn had a goal to freate a colony in which people from different religious backgrounds couold live peacfully. In 1682, he wrote his Frame of Government for Pennsylvania. It granted the colony an elected assembly. This also provided freedom of religion. -
English Bill of Rights
An event in 1688 further boosted parliamentary power. Parliament removed King James II from the throne and invited his daughter Mary and her husband William to rule, which was called the Glorious Revolution. King William and Queen Mary signed the English Bill of Rights, in 1689, which was a written list of freedoms the government promised to protect. -
New Jersey becomes a royal colony.
New Jersey recieved a charter as a royal colony. It was then controlled directly by the English king. -
Delware became a seperate colony
Delware settlers did not want to send delagates to a distant assembly in Philadelphia. Penn then gave the area its own representative assembly. IN 1702, Delaware became a seperate colony. -
Freedom of the Press
A notable court case in 1735 helped establish another important right. This was freedom of the press which was the right of journalists to publish the truth without restriction or penalty.
