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Jamestown is Established
104 English men and boys arrived and wanted to make a settlement. They decided upon Jamestown, Virginia as this settlement. Named after King James the first, Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. -
A "Starving Winter" (1609-1610)
The colony of Jamestown nearly starves to extinction, with only 60 people remaining. There had originally been trade established with local native tribes; however, issues arose in the relations between the people of Jamestown and the tribes the colonists traded with. Supplies were lost at sea, and there was no outside support for food. The people of Jamestown resorted to eating dug up corpses. -
Tobacco is Discovered (Summer 1610)
The 60 remaining people of Jamestown discovered tobacco during this time, which they sent to England. This crop became the first major one of the English Atlantic trade, despite having been grown for hundreds of years before that. -
The First Slaves are Brought to Jamestown
The White Lion, a Dutch ship, brought 20 African slaves to Jamestown. These African slaves were taken from the Portugese slave ship, Sao Jao Bautista. -
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses stemmed from the General Assembly of Virginia, which was the first elective governing body in Britain's overseas colonies. It was established by Governor George Yeardley at Jamestown. -
The Mayflower Compact is Signed
The adult male passengers of the Mayflower signed the Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, known today as the Mayflower Compact. This was the first governing document of the colony of Plymouth. It established that the colonists would remain loyal subjects to King James (this clearly didn't last long), create laws for the good of their colony, abide by such created laws, create one society that would work together, and live in line with the Christian faith. -
The Colony of Plymouth is Established
The Mayflower, carrying 102 passengers, arrived at Plymouth Harbor on this day. The colonists began building the town; until their houses were built, the colonists lived on the ship. -
An Act of Religious Toleration
This act set up the first amendment of the Constitution. It established the freedom of religion for only Christian settlers of diverse persuasions in the colony of Maryland. This act also made the blaspheme of God, the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, or the early apostles and evangelists, punishable by law. -
Virginia Law Says that Children of Black Female Slaves are Slaves
During the month of December, Virginia established a law that made the children of an enslaved woman also slaves. There were no exceptions to the children with a father that was not a slave himself. -
New Amsterdam Becomes New York
Over 40 years after the Dutch first settled along the Hudson River, their colony of New Amsterdam is taken over by the English. The English re-named it New York. In March of this year, the England's king, Charles II, gave this land to his brother, the Duke of York, despite it belonging to the Dutch. The Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant, basically surrendered the land. It was signed over on September 9th, 1664. -
Virginia Law Establishes that Baptized Slaves are not Exempt from Bondage
This law, passed by Virginia in 1667, made sure that, even slaves who were baptized, still had to work as slaves. This was despite the fact that many religious figures, like preachers, justified the enslavement of Africans because they were God's choice to be converted.
