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The Cuttyhunk Colony
Bartholomew Gosnold tried to establish the Cuttyhunk Colony as a British settlement in New England. The English had many failed attempts like this one at colonizing North America. -
Jamestown, Virginia
The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery left their home port in England in the December of 1606, and the three ships and their colonist passengers arrived in the New World in the future area of Virginia. On May 13, they established Jamestown, which, after years of struggle, became England’s first permanent settlement in North America. Despite the struggle, the colony of Virginia continued to develop into one of the most prominent and wealthy colonies. -
The Introduction of Tobacco in the Colonies
John Rolfe created a new strain of tobacco and grew the first tobacco crops in Virginia. This new crop provided economic stimulus for the struggling Jamestown, attracting more colonists with the potential of wealth and more merchants with the promise of goods. Ultimately, it became the foundation for Jamestown development and saved it from collapsing. -
The First Slaves and the House of Burgesses
A Dutch ship traded the first twenty slaves to colonists in Virginia, and the House of Burgesses was established by the Virginia Company, which enabled there to be official meetings of representatives of the colonists to make decisions in the colony. -
The Pilgrims
The Mayflower ship set sail from England, carrying around a hundred colonists who sought the religious freedom that was not allowed in their homeland. After arriving at Cape Cod in November, they continued further until they landed at Plymouth Harbor in December. Their settlements were the forerunners of New England. -
The Founding of Massachusetts
King Charles I allowed the Massachusetts Bay Company to have a charter for trading and colonizing an area of New England in between the Charles and Merrimack rivers. In 1630, the company sent around a thousand Puritan colonists to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and it became one of the original establishments in the area that eventually developed into the state of Massachusetts. They also transferred the charter and management to the colony, giving themselves more autonomy. -
The Founding of Maryland
King Charles I gave the area of Maryland to Cecilius Calvert, who hoped to create a safe haven where Protestants and Catholics could live together peacefully. However, many radical Quakers and Puritans came in from Virginia where the Church of England had been enforced. This influx of anti-Catholics and anti-Anglicans eventually made Calvert’s plans fail, and he lost control of the colony. Maryland became a royal colony in 1691 -
The Founding of Connecticut
Thomas Hooker and John Haynes, who were part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, created a colony at Hartford with a hundred other people. More individual colonies were established in the area and existed as individual entities until they united because of the threat from New Netherlands. Connecticut was given an official charter by Charles II in 1662. It was an extremely Puritan colony, and it became a significant producer of wheat, livestock, lumber, and ships. -
The Founding of Delaware
The first permanent settlement in Delaware was established the Swedish in 1638. The Swedish were conquered by the Dutch, who had established New Amsterdam, in 1655. In 1664, the English colonists forcibly took over the Dutch's colony. Delaware's area was given over to William Penn in 1682, who tried to unite it with Pennsylvania but failed because of colonists' resentment towards the union. Delaware was granted its own assembly in 1704, and it continued to developed into its own state. -
The Navigation Acts
The colonies began trading with other European nations when supply lines to Great Britain were interrupted by the English civil war in 1642. When the war ended, Britain imposed the Navigation Acts, which restricted the colonies to only trading with English merchants. This was resented by merchants and producers in the colonies, who ultimately became some of the major agitators of the anti-British movement that led to the American Revolution. -
The Founding of North and South Carolina
King Charles II gave the area of North and South Carolina to eight British noblemen who were referred to as the Lords Proprietors. Conflict erupted over disputes about the economy and the authority of the Commons House, and it became a royal colony in 1719, disposing of the proprietors. It was split into North and South Carolina in 1729. -
New York Is Born
Despite the peace between the Dutch and English, King Charles II gave the area of New Amsterdam, the Dutch's colony, to his brother, the Duke of York. English forces arrived in New Amsterdam, and the Dutch surrendered without bloodshed. None of the Dutch colonists were forced out, but it was renamed New York and officially became an English colony. -
The Founding of New Jersey
The Duke of York gave Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret the area of land between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. The two men divided it between themselves into West and East Jersey. Religious freedom, liberal government, and active politics became staples of both areas. The two regions eventually merged in 1702 and developed into what has become modern-day New Jersey. -
King Philip's War Begins
Strained relations developed between the Wampanoag tribe, whose sachem was Metacom, and the Plymouth colonists because the Indians felt threatened by the colonists’ activities spilling over onto Wampanoag land. When three tribe members murdered a Christian native for telling the colonists about their plans to attack, the colonists executed the three murderers and demanded to be given all of the tribe’s guns. Instead, Metacom rallied and led Native American tribes against the colonies. -
King Philip's War Concludes
Metacom (who was also known as King Philip) led the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, and Pocumtuck tribes against the colonies. The Narragansett tribe, who was initially neutral, also joined and became leaders of the war effort after the colonists became suspicious and preemptively attacked their home. However, after 14 months of devastating conflict, the colonists and their allied Indians defeated the Narragansett by killing their chief and eventually subdued the rest of the tribes. -
The Founding of Pennsylvania
King Charles II gave William Penn a charter that allowed him to establish a colony of his own. Because he was a Quaker, he created a colony that promised religious freedom, and it attracted many Quakers and members of radical Christian groups. He also enforced proper treatment of the Native Americans in the area. The colony developed quickly and became one of the largest.
