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Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala (Quechua) illustrates his book
The Native American Indian, de Ayala (Quechua), concluded his 1,189-page book, El primer nueva corónica, y buen gobierno, by drawing the illustrations for it. -
Bartholomew Gosnold establishes the Cuttyhunk Colony
The trip spanned over a month from March 26 to May 2 in 1602. Gosnold and his men finally settled in the Cuttyhunk Island on May 2, naming it Elizabeth. -
Captain Christopher Newport reaches Cape Henry
Captain Newport's three ships finally landed in Cape Henry after five months of sailing. -
Captain George Popham establishes Popham Colony for King James
Traveling from Plymouth, England to Maine, Captain Popham settled the Popham Colony. It quickly began to have problems, however. Fortunately, the first ship in North America was built there. -
Jamestown: The first successful settlement in North America
Around 105 settlers sailed in the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria and founded the Jamestown Colony. Upon arriving there, they named John Smith to the governing council. -
Juan Martinez de Montoya founds the Santa Fe settlement
In the spring of 1608, de Montoya, at fist, established the colony as a military camp. However, Santa Fe quickly turned into a settlement. -
Samuel de Champlain estabishes first permanent New France colony
Quebec City was founded by de Champlain in July of 1608. It became the very first settlement for the New France nation that was trying to rise up like their New England sisters. -
Samuel de Champlain battles an Iroquois party and declares Vermont for France
Champlain and some men headed into Iroquois territory where they fought and won a small victory against the Native Americans. He came across Vermont during the battle and later named it for the French kingdom. -
The first King James Bible published
Nearly 47 scholars and theologians toiled to translate the Bible from Hebrew to English. -
Pocahontas and John Rolfe are married and tobacco is brought to the colony
John Rolfe traveled to the Jamestown Settlement from England where he met the Powhatan Indian and fell in love. This couple's marriage gave the colonists and Indians eight years of peace. Tobacco increased the inhabitants' wealth dramatically. -
The first House of Burgesses elected in Jamestown
George Yeardley was elected as the first House of Burgesses representative in Jamestown in 1619. -
The tragic first winter in for the Pilgrims at the Plymouth settlement
The winter of 1620, with its harsh cold weather and the absence of food altogether, killed nearly half of the Plymouth population. This extremely low moment for the Pilgrims made their Thanksgiving celebration a year later, that much more special and meaningful. -
Puritans leave England to be free from the Church of England
Leaving on September 6, 1620 for the New World, the Puritans were ready to escape England's demanding religious rules. They arrived in the New World a few months later. -
The Pilgrims anchor in Cape Cod then travel to Plymouth Harbor
In November, the Puritans, now called Pilgrims, finally arrived in Cape Cod aboard their only ship, the Mayflower. Later, they made an exploration in December to Plymouth Harbor. A man named William Bradford was the main leader throughout the expeditions. -
The Mayflower Compact created for the new colony
Upon landing in Cape Cod, the Pilgrims created a new document to stand by when settling in the New World. Forty-one of the men signed the pamphlet. -
The First Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Indians
The two, diverse groups came together for a bountiful Thanksgiving feast either on September 21 or November 11, 1621. It was a three day celebration of feasting and giving thanks to God for the good and hard times in the new colony. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony founded
King Charles I granted the Massachusetts Bay Colony to establish and expand by a Royal Charter. -
John Winthrop and his huge ship fleet come to New World
Winthrop had an eleven ship fleet that left England in April of 1630 but only arrived in the New World in June. They landed in Salem but helped build the foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. -
Winthrop decides to establish a town, Boston
Boston began its colonization when John Winthrop and over a hundred of his men chose to go and establish their own town. -
The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635
In August of 1635 a massive hurricane overwhelmed and absolutely devastated the Jamestown, Plymouth, and Massachusetts Bay colonies. -
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Pequot War
The war began on July 20, 1636. It was against three established colonies and the Pequot Indian tribe. After three years of war, they ended it with the Treaty of Hartford on September 21, 1638. -
Harvard College founded as the first college
The first North American college, Harvard, was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1638. The founding of this first college symbolized North America's value of education. -
The first book published in North America
The Bay Psalm Book was published in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts as the first book to be published in the New World. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes set laws
The Body of Liberties were the Massachusetts Bay Colony's first set laws with over a hundred laws stating how the colony was to function. -
Roger Williams receives a grant to establish Rhode Island
Williams petitioned to start a new colony called Rhode Island and was granted in 1644 to began the settlement. -
A constitution for Rhode Island
The constitution for the General Assembly of Rhode Island was finally drafted in 1647. -
Slavery recognized by American colonies
In 1650 is when slavery was legalized in Connecticut and, overall, truly accepted in American colonies. -
English Parliament passes a series of Navigation Acts
Oliver Cromwell was the leader of Parliament and had these acts passed. They were created for the American colonies, dealing with trade and commerce. -
First Jewish people come to New Amsterdam
Coming from Brazil, twenty-three settlers travel to the New Amsterdam colony. These were the first jews in the colonies. -
Flushing Remonstrance signed for Quaker freedoms
The Flushing Remonstrance allowed for the Quaker community, growing in New Amsterdam, to have the religious freedoms they desired. -
Another part of the Navigation Acts series is passed
To make sure the colonists are only using British products for commerce, they passed a second legislation piece in the Navigation Acts. England clearly wanted a tight control on the new colonies. -
Missionary John Eliot publishes the Eliot Indian Bible
The amazing puritan missionary, John Eliot, wrote and finally published his Eliot Indian Bible in 1663. It was, in fact, the first complete Bible published in North America. -
England and Duke of York take over New Netherlands
In a peaceful attack, British soldiers seize New Netherlands from the Dutch in September 1664. The Duke of York happily takes over the colony and renames it New York. -
Treaty of Breda ends Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Treaty of Breda caused a peaceful end to this war. It caused the colonies to have boundaries set between British colonies and Dutch colonies. -
Hudson's Bay Company founded as English firm
This company was founded to combat New France, mainly, in a Canadian fur trade happening. Fortunately, Hudson's Bay Company would expand into a commercial enterprise from East Coast colonies. -
Two Frenchmen explore Midwest states along rivers
Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet began their trip on May 17, 1673. The two travelled along Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River then taking the Illinois River to the Des Plaines River. -
The Dutch recaptures the New York colony from British
Forces of the Dutch attempt to fully recapture their beloved colony of New Amsterdam back from England. They only hold power for a year until it is ripped away from them again. -
Treaty of Westminster ends the Third Anglo-Dutch War
Yet another war sparked between England and the Netherlands with yet another treaty of peace to end it. The Treaty of Westminster was hoped to have a better chance in stopping any further wars, but not quite. New Amsterdam, New York was surrendered to England at the end. -
Beginning of King Philip's War in New England
This war between Metacom Indian soldiers and colonial settlements began on June 20 of 1675. The Indian tribe first attacked because of the colonists invasion in their land. It has proved to be the costliest war for the colonists in terms of population. The war only lasted a little over a year, until August 12, 1676. -
Bacon's Rebellion causes Jamestown to burn
Nathanial Bacon leads many unhappy fellow, farmers in a rebellious act in burning Jamestown in 1676. However, Bacon and twenty-three others were eventually captured and executed. -
Pueblo Rebellion against Santa Fe kill four hundred
Indigenous Pueblo people on August 10 through the 21 in 1680 kill four hundred Spanish folks in the Santa Fe colony. -
France claims the lower Mississippi River valley
Robert Cavelier, Sieur de LaSalle explored the Louisiana region and claimed the lower Mississippi River valley for France. -
Pennsylvania established by William Penn
On June 23, 1683, William Pen signed a treaty with some Delaware Indians to establish the colony of Pennsylvania. He also paid them for the new colony's lands. -
New charter for New England colonies puts Joseph Dudley in charge
When a new charter for the New England colonies arrives, Joseph Dudley is granted authority over territory from Maine to New Jersey. This is because some of the colonys' charters were revoked. -
King William's War begins in 1688
This war beings in April 1688 and is only the first of several wars between New France and the British colonies. It will last around nine years. -
First paper money issued by the Massachusetts Bay Colony
The first ever paper money in North America was issued in 1690 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This allowed the colonies to pay their military expeditions during King William's War. -
The Public Occurrences is the first newspaper issue published
This was the very first newspaper issue to be published in both Americas, although it was suppressed shortly after. -
Plymouth joins Massachusetts Bay Colony
Under a proclamation from the king and queen of England, the Plymouth Colony joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony and therefore lost their own independence. -
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Salem Witch Trials
The hunt for witches in Salem, Massachusetts beings in February of 1692. The trials resulted in nineteen people being killed and one hundred and fifty arrested. -
William Pen creates plan to join colonies into one nation
Pen's ingenious idea to bring all the colonies if the New World together into one united nation was the first idea like this. It would even later influence the drafting of the Constitution. -
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville leads expedition and names three capitols
The French soldier, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, lead an expedition to the Gulf of Mexico to defend New France's borders. He also names three major capitols: Biloxi, Mobile, and New Orleans. New France added several new settlements in the South. -
Jamestown abandoned and Williamsburg founded
The Jamestown statehouse was tragically burned in 1698 leaving everyone to abandon the colony. A new colony emerged, however, called Middle Plantation then renamed Williamsburg.