Colonial America Timeline Project

  • Roanoke

    Roanoke
    115 English settlers went to Roanoke island. Some time later, the governor, John White, went back to England for supplies. When he came back in 1590, delayed due to war, the colony was left with no trace of settlers.
    https://www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke
  • Jamestown

    Jamestown
    100 members of the Virginia Company joined and founded the first permanent English colony in North America. The first two years were filled with famine, disease, and conflict with Native Americans. Tobacco was their first great export.
    https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/jamestown
  • House of Bugesses

    House of Bugesses
    Elected representatives would meet here once a year or more to discuss local laws and taxation with their royal governor. This took place in Jamestown. It was the first Legislative assembly of the colonies.
    http://www.ushistory.org/us/2f.asp
  • Great Puritan Migration

    Great Puritan Migration
    Because of religious persecution, puritans left England. They fled to Massachusetts when the England religious environment was threatening towards nonconformists. Most were middle class families who came solely for spiritual righteousness rather than for wealth.
    http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-great-puritan-migration/
  • Mayflower Compact

    Mayflower Compact
    This document was the first agreement for self-government created and enforced in America. It allowed the pilgrims to live without control from England. The Mayflower ship consisted of 102 passengers coming to the new world. They sailed from Plymouth, England. http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/symbols_freedom/pages/mayflower.html
  • New York

    New York
    The Dutch settled along the Hudson River and established the New Amsterdam colony. It was later given to England and renamed New York after the Duke of York. The original reason for founding this colony was for trade and profits.
    https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-york
  • Massachusetts Bay Colony

    Massachusetts Bay Colony
    This colony was settled by the English. The Massachusetts Bay Company gained a charter from King James I. The colony was the most successful of New England. This mostly puritan compony had been thriving in England for years.
    https://www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts-Bay-Colony
  • Connecticut

    Connecticut
    Dutch came in 1614 but there was not a permanent settlement until 1633 under the leadership of Thomas Hooker. A small fort was made called New Hope. The Dutch were made up of puritans and pilgrims in search of fertile farm land.
    https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h543.html
  • Maryland

    Maryland
    Maryland was a southern colony founded by George Calvert and Lord Baltimore. The colony was established to be a refuge for English Catholics. Maryland composed a document called "The Toleration Acts" in 1649.
    https://www.landofthebrave.info/maryland-colony.htm
  • Rhode Island

    Rhode Island
    The colony of Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams. It was a New England colony established by Puritans. Roger Williams formed this colony because he was banished from the Massachusetts colony for speaking against the government.
    https://www.landofthebrave.info/rhode-island-colony.htm
  • Maryland Toleration Act

    Maryland Toleration Act
    This act, also known as the religious toleration act, was created to give Christians religious freedom in Maryland. Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic, was the first to suggest the idea of freedom of religion.
    http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/maryland_toleration.asp
  • Carolina

    Carolina
    Carolina was established by supporters of King Charles II. It was a southern colony. Trade products included tobacco, cotton, rice, indigo, lumber, furs, and farm products.
    https://www.landofthebrave.info/north-carolina-colony.htm
  • Bacon's Rebellion

    Bacon's Rebellion
    When Governor William Berkeley refused to retaliate from several Native American attacks, Nathaniel Bacon led colonists in a rebel against leadership.
    https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/bacons-rebellion.htm
  • Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania is a middle colony founded by William Penn. It was a charter colony from King Charles II. A major town here was Philadelphia. The purpose of settlement was for Quaker religious freedom.
    https://www.landofthebrave.info/pennsylvania-colony.htm
  • Salutary Neglect

    Salutary Neglect
    This was a British policy that allowed colonists to neglect trade rules. This policy wasn't documented. It increased profits in trade from the 1690s to the 1760s.
    https://www.landofthebrave.info/salutary-neglect.htm
  • Salem Witch Trials

    Salem Witch Trials
    When an ill daughter was diagnosed with bewitchment, the witch trials were set in motion. The trials killed over 150 men and women accused of being possessed or insane.
    http://www.salem.org/salem-witch-trials/
  • The Great Awakening

    The Great Awakening
    The Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals that spread throughout the American colonies. In New England, this movement represented an increasing formality in congregational churches.
    http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=91
  • French-Indian War

    French-Indian War
    The French-Indian War was the North American conflict between Great Britain and France over land. It is also known as the Seven Years’ War. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Britain ended up with lots of previous French territory in North America. This war eventually lead to the American Revolution
    https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war
  • Albany Plan

    Albany Plan
    This was a plan made to make a unified government for the 13 colonies. Ben Franklin was the leader of the plan. This called for permanent federation of colonies and address colonial interests. King George II rejected this plan, but this was the first attempt at colonial cooperation.
    https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/albany-plan
  • Proclamation of 1763

    Proclamation of 1763
    After the French and Indian war, King Charles III issued a proclamation to soothe the Indians by checking the intrusion of settlers on their lands. This angered colonists who were promised land west of the Appellations. This ultimately lead to the American Revolution.
    https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/1763-proclamation-of