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Sep 29, 1501
First black slaves in America brought to Spanish colony of Santo Domingo
Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco. Slavery was practiced throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, and African-American slaves helped build the economic foundations of the new nation -
Sep 29, 1517
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa. Michelangelo sculpts the David
Mona Lisa was painted by the artists Leonardo da Vinci, the painting has been acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most parodied work of art in the world." Leaonardo da Vinci started painting Mona LIsa around 1503-1504 and didn't finish until 1517. It was acquired by King Franis 1 of France, and it is now the property of the French Republic, on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797. -
Roanoke Island
An English fort and settlement with more than 100 men was established on the north end of the island, but was soon abonded that year due to weather, lack of supplies, and poor relations with the Native Americans -
Spanish Armada defeated
Off the coast of Gravelines, France Spain's "invincible Armada' is defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake. After 8 hours of fighting, the Spanish decided to break off from the battle and retreat toward the North Sea. -
Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. William Kelso said "Jamestown is where the British Empire began.. this was the first colony in the British Empire." Jamestown was considered permanent after breig abandonment in 1610. It was located within the country of Tsenacommach, administered by the Powhatan Confederacy. -
House of Burgesses meets
Was the first legislative assembly in the American colonies. It was estalished by the Virginia Compnay who created the body to persuade the Englsih craftsmen to settle in North America and to make conditions in the colony better for its current inhabitants. -
Dutch bring Africans
A Dutch manof-war with about 20 Africans on board entered port at English colony of Jamestown, Virginia. They were the first Africans to set foot on the North American continent. At this time the slave trade between Africa and the English colonies had not yet been established, and it is unlikely that the 20 or so newcomers became slaves upon their arrival -
Virginia Company sends women
Lady Yeardley certainly would have been noticed because of her standing in the colony, but even more so, because of her gender. Two women came to Virginia in late 1608 and a few more arrived in 1609, but women were always in the minority. The first women were wives or daughters of settlers. But in the
years 1620-1622, the Virginia Company recruited and sent about 140 maids to the colony. These young women came at the request ofplanters, to become their wives. -
King James declares Royal Colony
The 'Charter of 1606', also known as the First Charter of Virginia, is a document from King James I of England to the Virginia Company assigning land rights to colonists for the stated purpose of propagating the Christian religion. The land is described as coastal Virginia and islands near to the coast, but the surveying numbers correspond to modern day South Carolina to Canada. The land itself would remain the property of the King, with the London Company and the Plymouth Company. -
Colonists can own land
all conflicts between European settlers in America and American Indians were about land. The Indians had it; the Europeans wanted it. In many cases, Europeans simply took what they wanted. In most of British North America, though, settlers actually purchased land from natives. You might think that buying land rather than taking it would prevent conflict. But because Europeans and American Indians had very different ideas about what it meant to buy and to “own” land, these deals actually could ca
