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Establishment of Jamestown as a colony
The first English settlement in North America was established in 1607 with the founding of Jamestown, which set the stage for further colonial growth. The event promoted the establishment of a farming economy, through tobacco growing, and introduced English institutions to the continent. Jamestown also influenced the course of colonial history and cross-cultural relations in North America by causing interactions both peaceful and contentious between English settlers and Native American tribes. -
Establishment of Massachusetts as a colony
1629 King Charles I of England granted the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter to trade in and colonize the part of New England that lay approximately between the Charles and Merrimack Rivers, and settlement began in 1630. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation Line of 1763 was a British-produced boundary marked in the Appalachian Mountains at the Eastern Continental Divide. The Proclamation Line prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling on lands acquired from the French following the French and Indian War. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act intensified colonial hostility toward the British and was a pivotal development on the road to the American Revolution. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre helped galvanize Boston and the colonies against the mother country. Samuel Adams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, played a leading role in framing the March 5 incident as a battle for American liberty. -
Boston Tea Party
The implication and impact of the Boston Tea Party was enormous ultimately leading to the sparking of the American Revolution which began in Massachusetts. It was a mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, by the Sons of Liberty. -
Intolerable Act
The passage of the Intolerable Acts was a key moment in the lead-up to this war. The Intolerable Acts were meant to force the rebellious colonies back into place, but the opposite happened and only further fueled the flames of rebellion in North America. -
Virgina Plan
Introduced to the Constitutional Convention in 1780, James Madison's Virginia Plan outlined a strong national government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The plan called for a legislature divided into two bodies. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed by U.S. and British Representatives on September 3, 1783, ending the War of the American Revolution. The agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory.