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The 13 Colonies Timespan
The great American colonial era was a time of tremendous change, effort, and creativity. With courage and determination, American men and women established this country and gave it a strong foundation. -
Jamestown, Virginia is Founded
The Virginia Company, seeking to make money from settling America, sent 105 men and boys on three ships, called the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery, to settle in Virginia. They named the place where they settled Jamestown, to honor King James I. Jamestown became the birthplace of the United States when it became the first permanent English settlement in America. It was the first capital of Virginia. -
The Starving Time Nearly Wiped Out America's First Colony
The winter of 1609-1610 was hard for the settlers of Jamestown, because most of them were rich people who were not used to having to work so hard for their survival. They were not planning on raising their own food, but were hoping to trade with the Indians for food. They didn't have a good friendship with the Indians, so the trading for food didn't work out, and they were not prepared for the hard Virginia winter. Most settlers starved to death before they got help from England in May of 1610. -
The Early American Slave Trade
The first African indentured servants appeared in Jamestown, Virginia around 1619. In time, black servants became permanent slaves. -
Massachusetts is Founded
Pilgrims sailed from England onboard the Mayflower and landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They came to America looking for religious freedom, because so many of them had been persecuted, and so they could worship the way they wanted to worship. -
The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims made friends with the American native people, who taught them how to raise and collect food like corn and squash, and hunt deer. In November of 1621, after their first successful harvest, the Pilgrims organized the first Thanksgiving feast, which they celebrated with their Native American friends. -
Charles Town is Founded in Carolina
When Charles Town was founded it became the first sustainable European settlement in America. Sustainable means that Charles Town never quit being full of people and is a live city today. When Charles Town was settled, it became the first capital of Carolina. -
Pennsylvania is Founded by William Penn
William Penn Founded Pennsylvania when he was granted a charter by King Charles II. Many Quakers settled in Pennsylvania and set up a government that was to be based on Quaker values. -
The Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Museum---
Hysteria over witchcraft accusations controlled Salem Village, in Massachusetts. More than 150 people were arrested and put on trial for witchcraft, a crime which had a sentence of death. By the time the trials ended, 19 people had been found guilty and executed. -
Pirates Cause Trouble Off the Coast of Carolina
Blackbeard the pirate terrorized the people of Charles Town when he sailed into the harbor, and began taking hostages to hold for ransom. Also this year, Stede Bonnet, another pirate, was hanged on an island in what is now Charleston Harbor. Pirates were a big problem for all of the colonies in this time. -
Carolina Territory is Divided into North and South Carolina
The territory called Carolina was divided into North Carolina and South Carolina because the two parts of Carolina were not compatible. The people of South Carolina were mostly wealthy planters who loved England and were loyal to it. The people of North Carolina were mostly Scotch Irish, and they couldn't stand the English or anyone else who tried to tell them how to do their business. -
America's First Circulating Library Was Created
The Library Company of Philadelphia------- Benjamin Franklin started the first lending library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and named it The Library Company of Philadelphia. The library still exists, and has its own web page. -
The Colony of Georgia is Founded by James Oglethorpe
Georgia became the last of the 13 Original American Colonies when James Edward Oglethorpe Founded it as a haven for debtors and poor people. Georgia was used as a buffer between the English colonists and the Spanish settlers of Florida. -
Benjamin Franklin's Bifocals
Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea for bifocal glasses, because he needed glasses for both seeing up close, and for seeing things far away. This invention has made the world easier to see for many people ever since then.
