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The Roanoke Colony Is founded
In 1585, Queen Elizabeth commissioned Sir Walter Raleigh to send 100 people to Roanoke Island. It is also known as the Lost Colony because its settlers left mysteriously and without many clues about why they left. It was assumed for a long time that natives had massacred the colony, but there was never any evidence to prove it. The only evidence left was a carved word in a tree that read, "CROATOAN." -
Jamestown Settlement is established
Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement. One hundred and four men came as employees of the Virginia Company of London. Eventually women began to come as well, but there were far more men than women. They came with trading supplies and expected to find valuable ore of gold and silver. Instead, they found iron and timber were the most common and readily available resources. At first, trade went well, but after John Smith left, conflict with the Powhatan natives made life difficult. -
John Smith becomes the leader of Jamestown
John Smith became Jamestown's fourth leader and enacted the "No work, No food" policy. Jamestown was largely made up of English gentlemen that didn't have a background of skilled and physical labor, and they had no idea what they should do to improve their situation. -
Henry Hudson explores the N.E. coast and Hudson River
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer who is famous for exploring the N.E. coast of North America and Canada. Hudson was searching for the Northwest Passage to Asia on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. He sailed up what is now known as the Hudson River and explored what would become the Dutch colony, New Netherland. In 1610, on his third and final expedition to seek the Northwest Passage, his crew mutinied and threw him and his son and 7 others overboard. They were never seen again. -
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The Starving Time
During the winter of 1609-1610, many of the 500 Jamestown settlers died of starvation. Only 60 people survived by the time the spring came. The settlers had arrived with limited supplies and had planned to establish trade with local natives to gather food for winter, but the natives denied them food. Their crops failed due to drought and ships that were supposed to bring food were months behind schedule due to hurricanes. When ships did show up, they brought more settlers but no food. -
Sir Thomas Dale rules in Virginia
Sir Thomas Dale became the deputy governor of the Virginia Colony following the terrible Starving Time. He becomes famous for his leadership and the time is called Good Order. -
John Rolfe marries Pocahontas
Jamestown settler John Rolfe married Pocahontas, the daughter of the Powhatan Indian chief. This union ties English colonists and natives together and secures a relationship so that the English can live peaceably with the Powhatan tribe and secure a permanent future for the colony. -
New Netherland is established
The Dutch colony New Netherlands is established. They were a big part of the fur trade. They were ailed with the Era coy nation. They were right next to two British colonies. -
The Headright System
This system was where every person that came to the colonies would get 50 acres of land. People that were already there received 100 acres. The growing tabacco crop industry demanded more and more laborers to work the land. Some people could pay their way to cross over to the colonies from England. Families were encouraged to come because each person got 50 acres. Wealthy people who paid the cost of sending people earned land. Some people who were poor came as indentured servants. -
The first slaves arrive in Jamestown.
The first African slaves arrived in Jamestown. The slaves were captured during battle with the Portuguese. At first they are indentured servants, but are later forced to become owned slaves. With the success of the tobacco crop that was introduced by John Smith, workers were needed to keep up with the Colonies' growing economic boom. -
The Virginia House of Burgesses meets at Jamestown
The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first representative government of the colonies. Its members included... -
The Pilgrims found the Plymouth Settlement in the Massachusetts Colony
The Pilgrims founded the second colony, Plymouth, after sailing to the New World on the Mayflower. They establish their own government with the drafting of the Mayflower Compact, a legal document that specified their laws and rules for their new colony. They came seeking religious freedom, which they did not have when King James I was in rule in England. They tried living in Holland but soon found that Holland didn't suit their religious beliefs and desires for their families. -
The Massachusettes Bay Colony is established
John Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges received land in northern New England which became the Massachusettes Bay Colony. -
New Netherlands is settled by the Dutch.
The colony was established by the Dutch West India Company. They wanted to capitalize on the fur trade. The colony was made up of people from all over Europe, natives, and African slaves. -
The Maryland Colony is settled
King Charles I gave land to George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, to create a haven for Catholics in the American Colonies. -
Virginia is made a royal colony.
The Virginia Company's carter was revoked by King James I, and becomes a crown colony. -
The Puritans form the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Led by John Winthrop, the Puritans, another group seeking religious freedom, formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They wanted to purify the English church of Roman Catholic practices, and reform the church to Protestant. They left England to start their own church in the New World. -
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The Great Migration
Thousands of English people migrated to the Americas, seeking a new and better life filled with opportunity. -
The Connecticut Colony is settled
The Connecticut Colony was originally settled by dissatisfied colonists from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Led by Thomas Hooker, they settled in the Connecticut River Valley. In 1639, three settlements in Connecticut joined to form a single government and created a document called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. It was the first written constitution in America. Eventually in 1662 King Charles II united the settlements to form the single colony of Connecticut. -
Rhode Island Colony is formed
Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and left to found Providence, Rhode Island. Anne Hutchison was also banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settle in Portsmouth. Other settlements were formed in the area. Eventually all were united to form Rhode Island Colony. -
New Hampshire is founded and settled
The New Hampshire Colony was founded by John Mason and settled by John Wheelwright and others. -
Delaware is settled
The Delaware Colony was settled by Peter Minuit and others. -
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The Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts of 1651, 1660, and 1663 were passed by England to regulate colonial trade and enable England to collect taxes from the lucrative trades of the colonies. During this period the slave plantations in the southern colonies were created. -
The Carolina Colony is settled
King Charles gave charters to eight men to settle lands south of Virginia. The main port was named after King Charles and was called Charles Town (Charleston). In 1979, North and South Carolina became separate Proprietary Colonies. -
New Jersey is settled
The Duke of York granted some land to Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley. They named the colony New Jersey. They gave settlers land to farm and religious freedom. In 1702 the two parts of the colony were united as a royal colony. -
The Plantation Duty Act
England stopped Americans from illegally trading without paying taxes. Colonist refused to do it because it would cut down there profit. -
Culpeper's Rebellion
Culpeper's Rebellion happened in 1677 due to the Carolina Colonists getting angry and tired of the Navigation Acts. -
The Quakers come to America
King Charles II granted William Penn a charter to settle a place for Quakers. It would become Pennsylvania. William Penn promised his fellow Quakers, or Society of Friends, a safe place to live and practice their religion. He spread the news of the place far across Europe. The first Quakers to set foot on American soil tried to settle in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but were driven out by the Puritans. They relocated to Rhode Island Colony. -
Salutary Neglect
This made laws that were strict on America less strict. -
The Duke of York gains New Netherland and New Sweden
New Netherland and New Sweden were taken over by the Duke of York and renamed New York. They did not resist the takeover. -
Great Britain is born
England and Scotland combined to become The United Kingdom of Great Britain. The colonies are then referred to as British. -
The Georgia Colony is settled
James Oglethorpe received a charter to create a colony between South Carolina and Florida. Georgia became a royal colony in 1752. -
The Sugar Act is passed
To help pay the British War debt, Britain passed the Sugar Act that taxes the colonies heavily on all items that were imported to the colonies. This threw the colonies into an economic crisis. Britain began imposing laws upon how and where the colonies could trade. -
The Stamp Act and The British Quartering Act are passed
The Stamp Act was issued by Great Britain Parliament and required the colonies to use special embossed paper for printing, as a way to collect revenue from the colonies. The Quartering Act forced colonists to open their homes to house British soldiers. These acts made the colonists increasingly angry with Britain, and riots began. -
The Townshend Acts are issued
Between 1767 and 1768, the Townshend Acts were passed and again the colonies were taxed heavily in order to divert money to Britain to help pay for the defense of the colonies, as well as pay the salaries of the governors and judges so they would remain loyal to Great Britain. The British also wanted to punish the Province of New York for not complying with the Quartering Act. The Townshend Acts caused more anger and resistance from the colonists and the Boston Massacre happened. -
The Boston Massacre
A drunk colonist step out of a bar and exchanged insulted with a British soldier. The colonist hit the soldier. The soldier hit him with the butt of his gun. The colonist made noise that so some men stepped out of the bar. Someone rang a bell. They stated throwing things at the soldier. six more soldier arrived to scare off the mob. A man started hitting a soldier with a club. The soldier fired his gun to defend himself. The rest of the soldiers fired their guns. Five men died and one was hurt. -
Massachusetts militia defeat the American Regulators in Alamance.
Unhappy farmers that called themselves Regulators made the governor mad. They complained of being overtaxed. He sent a militia to stop them. They tried to make this a peaceful solution. The Regulators refused. Shots were fired and some Regulators fired from the trees. Not very many people died in this conflict. It was just a part of the problems that ultimately started the Revolutionary War. -
Boston Tea Party
One hundred and fifty men dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded a tea ship. They threw tons of tea into the harbor. Some wanted to take back tea to drink at their home. The leaders refused to let them. They did this because they hated the laws that forced them to pay high taxes. -
The American Revolution begins
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolution. -
The Declaration of Independence is written, signed, and issued
Thomas Jefferson, with the help of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, wrote the Declaration of Independence, declaring the American colonies free and sovereign from the rule of Great Britain.
