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The Establishment of Plymouth Colony
America's first permanent Puritan settlement, which was established by English Separatist Puritans in December 1620. The Pilgrims left England to seek religious freedom, or simply to find a better life. The settlers were a group of about 100 Puritan Separatist Pilgrims, who sailed on the Mayflower and settled on what is now Cape Cod bay, Massachusetts. -
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King Philip's War
A chief of the Wampanoag's named Metacom; to the colonist King Philip, united many tribes in Southern New England against English settlers. Who were constantly encroaching on the American Indians lands. On August 12, 1676, Philip was assassinated at Mount Hope by a Native American in the service of the English. Philip’s body was publicly displayed on a stake in Plymouth. King Philip's War ended Native American dominance in the region and inaugurated a period of unimpeded colonial expansion. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon, an impoverished gentleman formerly, seized upon the grievances of Western farmers to lead a rebellion against Berkley’s government. Bacon and others resented the economic and political control exercised by a few large planters in the Chesapeake area. And in 1676, conducted a series of raids and massacres against American Indian villages on the Virginia frontier. Soon after Bacon's death, Berkeley regained complete control and hanged the major leaders of the rebellion. -
The Founding of Pennsylvania
English Quaker William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681, when King Charles II granted him a charter for over 45,000 square miles of land. Penn had previously helped found Quaker settlements in West New Jersey and was eager to expand his Quaker colony. -
The Salem witch trials
The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. More than two hundred people were accused. Thirty were found guilty and nineteen of them were executed by hanging. Many women were seen as a threat by the Puritans and so they were categorized as Witches and trailed. -
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The Great Awakening
In the 1730s, a dramatic change occurred that swept through colonies with the force of a hurricane. This was the Great Awakening, a movement characterized by fervent expressions of religious feelings among masses of people. George Whitefield, spread the Great Awakening throughout the colonies attracting audiences of 10,000 people. He delivered rousing sermons that stressed that God was all powerful and would save those who openly processed belief in Jesus Christ. -
The Zenger Case
In 1735, John Peter Zenger, a New York editor and publisher, was brought to trial on a charge of libelously criticizing New York's royal governor. Zenger's lawyer Andrew Hamilton argued that his client had printed the truth about the governor. According to English Law, injuring a governor's reputation was considered a criminal act, no matter if true or false.
