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Roanoke
Group of 115 English settlers arrived on the coast of North Carolina. John White, the governor, had to leave to go get supplies, but when he arrived a naval war broke out between England and Spain. When White returned back to Roanoke, all of the people had mysteriously disappeared. He found no trace of inhabitants but he did find the word "Croatoan" carved into a wooden post. https://www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke -
Jamestown
On May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 100 members of the Virginia Company made the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River. Disease and famine largely impacted the settlers of Jamestown. Also, conflicts with local Native American tribes brought Jamestown almost to failure before the arrival of a new group of settlers and supplies in 1610. notes -
House of Burgesses
After his arrival in Jamestown, governor George Yeardley immediately gave notice that the Virginia colony would establish a legislative assembly. This assembly, the general assembly, which became known as the House of Burgesses first met on July 30, 1916. https://www.ushistory.org/us/2f.asp -
Mayflower/Plymouth/Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims set sail on a ship called the Mayflower from England in July 1620. The Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod, but a few weeks later they sailed up to Plymouth and started to build their new town. In 1620, the Mayflower Compact was established with the intent of binding the Pilgrims together when the arrived in New England. https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact -
Great Migration
The mostly Puritan immigrants from England settled in New England at Plymouth Bay, in a stretch of land known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. An estimated 200 ships carrying around 20,000 people arrived. The descendants of those people who entered Massachusetts settled much of the Northeastern region of the United States and later spread westward throughout the country. https://www.immigrationtounitedstates.org -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was one of the original English settlements in present day Massachusetts. It was settled by a group of one thousand Puritan refugees from England. https://www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts-Bay-Colony -
Maryland
The Maryland colony was founded as a safe haven for English Catholics fleeing anti-Catholic persecution in Europe. The colony was established by Cecil Calvert. The Maryland Colony's first settlement was St. Mary's city along the Chesapeake Bay. St. Mary's City was the first settlement in the New World to guarantee religious freedom for Trinitarian Christians. https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-the-maryland-colony-103875 -
Connecticut
Pequot Indian settlements were an important consideration, but the Puritans kept pushing forward creating new colonies in likeness of the Massachusetts Bay. Thomas Hooker, a Puritan minister, led a group of followers west and built a town called Hartford. This would become the center of the Connecticut colony. In religious practices Connecticut mirrored the Massachusetts Bay, but politically it allowed more access to non-church members. https://www.ushistory.org/us/3f.asp -
Rhode Island
Rhode Island was one of the original 13 colonies located on the Atlantic Coast of North America. The Rhode Island colony was founded by Roger Williams and other colonists. The Province of Rhode Island was an English colony that existed in North America, until it joined the other 12 of the 13 colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Rhode Island. https://www.landofthebrave.info/rhode-island-colony.htm -
Maryland Toleration Act
The Maryland Toleration Act , also called "An Act Concerning Religion" was passed by the assembly of the Province of Maryland. The act was meant to ensure freedom of religion for Christian settlers of diverse persuasions in the colony. The law made it a crime to blaspheme God, the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, and others. This law appears to have been the first in America to refer specifically to “the free exercise” of religion. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/868/maryla -
Carolina
Carolina was a southern colony settled by supporters of King Charles II in 1663. He granted 8 supporters land in the Carolinas. It had easy access to trade in the West Indies, so people settled there to grow cash crops. By 1720, African slaves outnumbered European settlers in the Carolinas. In 1729, Carolina became a royal colony and was split into North and South Carolina. notes. -
New York
The Dutch first settled along the Hudson River. Two years later they established colony of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. In 1664, the English took control of the area and renamed it New York. notes. -
Bacons Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon raised an unauthorized militia of indentured servants, slaves, and poor farmers to retaliate against a series of Native American attacks on the Virginia frontier. In response, William Berkley gathered an army to fight Bacon and his men. Bacon was mad that Berkley refused to retaliate to the Native Americans. Bacon and his men then attacked and destroyed Jamestown. The rebellion ended when Bacon died from dysentery and his men were hung. notes. -
Pennsylvania
In 1681, King Charles II granted William Penn charter for the colony of Pennsylvania. The colony was established as a "holy experiment". In the 1660's, William Penn became a Quaker and his colony soon became a haven for Quakers. Pennsylvania is a middle colony. notes. -
Salutary Neglect
Salutary Neglect was a long-standing British Policy in the 13 colonies which allowed the colonists to flout, or violate, the laws associated with trade. There were no enforcement agencies in American and it was too expensive for the British to send troops there so they created this policy. This policy was not documented and lasted from the 1690's to the 1760's. It benefited the colonists by boosting their profits from trade. https://www.landofthebrave.info/salutary-neglect.htm -
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch trials started when a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts claimed that they had been possessed by the devil. They also accused several women of performing witchcraft. As a result of these claims, a special court met in Salem to review these cases. Nineteen people were accused and were hung for it, while 150 men, women, and children were accused. By September 1692, the public turned against the trials and they were overturned. https://www.history.com -
Great Awakening/Enlightenment
The Great Awakening was a religious revival that impacted the English colonies. The movement came at a time when the idea of secular rationalism was being emphasized, and passion for religion had grown stale. Christian leaders would go from town to town preaching the gospel and salvation. The result was a new passion for religion from the English people. https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening#:~:text=The%20Great%20Awakening%20was%20a,for%20religion%20had%20grow -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. On July 10 1754, representatives from seven of the British North American colonies made the plan. Although it was never carried out, the Albany Plan was the first important proposal to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/albany-plan -
The French-Indian War
The French-Indian War is also known as the seven year war. It marked a struggle between France and Britain. France's expansion into the Ohio River valley brought conflict with the British colonies, mainly Virginia. https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by the British at the end of the French Indian War to appease the Native Americans by checking the encroachment of European settlers on their lands. It made a boundary that separated the British colonies from the American Indian land. Now, only licensed traders would be allowed to travel west or deal with the Indians. https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/1763-proclamation-of#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20Pontiac%27s%20Rebellion,colon
