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Period: 1400 to
Exploration and Settlement
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1492
Columbus lands at Hispaniola in the Carribean.
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1513
Balboa "discovers" the Pacific Ocean in Panama
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1521
Cortes conquers the Aztecs at Tenochtitlan (Mexico City).
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1539
De Soto explores the region between Florida and the Mississippi River.
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First permanent English settlement is founded in Jamestown, Virginia.
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Mayflower Pilgrims found Plymouth colony in Massachusetts.
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English settlers defeat Native Americans in King Philip's War.
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France claims the Mississippi River Valley and names it Louisiana.