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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus lands in the New World
After being funded by King Ferdinand, Columbus originally left Spain in search of a new route to Asia, but instead landed on an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador. Upon arriving, he met the natives of the islands and dubbed them "Los Indios," or Indians. He described them as generous and peaceful, and quickly took advantage of their hospitality. This was one of his first transatlantic voyages, and it marked the beginning of the colonization of the Americas. -
Jun 24, 1497
Explorer John Cabot lands in Newfoundland
After being granted a patent by Henry VII, John Cabot was an Italian explorer who sailed on the ship Matthew for the English. Originally searching for a route to Asia, Cabot landed in Newfoundland. He claimed this land for England, marking the start of English colonization in the Americas. Today, Newfoundland is found in Canada but is significant to American history due to the fact that the discovery of this land opened a new door for future colonization of the Americas. -
Apr 1, 1507
America appears on a map for the first time
The Waldseemüller map, created by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, was the very first map to feature the name America. This name derives from the fact that Waldseemüller wanted to honor Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci argued that the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus were not a part of Asia but were completely separate continents. The Waldseemüller map is often dubbed as "America's Birth Certificate." -
Apr 14, 1513
Juan Ponce de León explores the Florida coast.
Juan Ponce de León, born in Santervas, Spain, had previously sailed with Columbus in the past as he explored Hispaniola. After landing on the northeast coast of Florida, Juan Ponce de León was credited with being the first European to reach Florida on Easter Sunday of 1513. Easter in Spanish is Pascua de Flores, so the Spanish explorer named the land after the holiday he founded it on. After an attempt to settle at the land he founded, Leon was attacked by the indigenous people and died. -
Creation (and disappearance) of the Roanoke Colony
Founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585, The Roanoke Colony was an attempt at establishing the first permanent English settlement in North America. The settlers struggled with a lack of supplies and had conflicts with the local Native American tribes. After being visited by a ship in 1590, it was discovered that 121 colonists who inhabited Roanoke had inexplicably disappeared, with the only clue to their disappearance being the cryptic word "CROATOAN" carved into a wooden wall. -
Explorer Bartholomew Gosnold lands in New England
Englishmen Bartholomew Gosnold left England with the intent to establish a colony in New England. He is credited for naming Cape Cod, which he named after the abundant supply of fish. After an attempt to settle on what is known today as Cuttyhunk Island (which they called Elizabeth Island), Gosnold and his men abandoned the settlement project due to conflict with the local natives and returned back to England. This attempt is important due to the fact that it is the first sign of conflict. -
Jamestown is established
A group of English settlers made landfall on April 26, 1607, on a cape that is known today as Cape Henry. Led by Captain Edward Maria Wingfield, the settlers chose a piece of land on a large peninsula. However, the downsides of this island were the fact that it was swampy and deemed too poor and remote for agriculture. However, things eventually worked out for the English settlers and Jamestown became known as the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. -
The first slaves arrive in Jamestown
The beginning of slavery in Virginia took place in late August 1619, in which twenty or so captive Africans were brought to Hampton, Virginia. They were sold as indentured servants and were to be freed by 1630. They were sold to the governor of Virginia by "Capt Jope" who stole them from the Spanish slave ship São João Baptista. The slaves were kidnapped from the Kingdom of Ndongo and were going to be forcibly sailed to what is Mexico today. -
The Plymouth Colony is established
After the English sailing ship the Mayflower landed on the tip of Cape Cod on November 21, 1620, the group of Protestant Separatists, also known today as pilgrims, established a settlement. However, they faced a brutal winter and nearly half of the original settlers died of famine and other conditions. If not for the help of the local Indian tribes, it is unsure if the pilgrims would have survived the harsh conditions. The story of the pilgrims and their voyage has become American folklore. -
The Indian massacre of 1622 takes place
The Indian massacre of 1622 was an event in which Powhatan warriors originally arrived unarmed at the houses of Jamestown settlers and offered to sell them things such as deer, fish, and fruits. However, afterward, they grabbed any weapons available and attacked and killed any settlers they could find. After the attack, the men of Jamestown planned to retaliate, but this proved difficult as the majority of the survivors had been women and children. Instead, they fed the Indians poisoned wine. -
The Massachusetts Bay Colony is founded
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by a group of Puritans seeking refugee from England. Although they had been granted a charter by the current King Charles I, the King’s advisors had second thoughts about the founder's Puritan roots and demanded the charter’s return. At first, the Puritan settlers had refused to fly the English flag, but after conflicts with visiting captains, they decided to not provoke the king of England and hung it. -
Harvard College is founded
Becoming the first college in the colonies, Harvard was founded on October 28th 1636 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Harvard was the college's first/main benefactor. He donated his library and half his estate to the upcoming college. Its first Headmaster was Nathaniel Eaton. A publication stated Harvard's purpose: "advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches when our present ministers shall lie in the dust." -
Anne Hutchinson banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Anne Hutchinson was born in July 1591 in Alford, Lincolnshire, England. Her father was eventually imprisoned in England for heresy. In 1634, Anne traveled with her husband William and their ten children to New England. Anne began hosting her own Home Bible study group for women. Because of this, Anne was accused of heresy herself and was eventually banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, deemed "as being a woman not fit for our society." -
First Baptist Church in America
After being founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island, the first Baptist Church in America was dubbed "The First Baptist Meetinghouse." Williams held religious meetings in his house at first but decided to move to a meetinghouse after seeing its utility. It actually was the first Baptist meetinghouse to have a bell. -
Salem Witch trials begin
The Salem witch trials were a collection of trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. They lasted until May 1693. These persecutions were fueled by religious fear, superstition, and false accusations. The results of these trials were twenty deaths and over fifty people being accused. One man was even pressed to death under heavy stones. In the years following the trial, several accusors had admitted that they had fabricated their charges. -
The Seven Years' War begins
In a war that actually lasted nine years, the British and the French disputed over North American land claims. The French allied with the native Americans, but the British ultimately won the war and expanded its North American territory. After being ended by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, but Britain's national debt nearly doubled. The colonies would be the most affected by this, as Britan overtaxed them to compensate. -
The Stamp act
The Stamp act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, in which colonists were required to pay a tax on paper goods, which was widely unpopular. Colonists even had to pay the tax in British currency, not in colonial paper money. Protests took place and the slogan "No taxation without representation," was coined. The colonists were becoming more upset by British Economic policies and considered the stamp act a violation of their rights. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a dispute in 1770 in which nine British soldiers shot and killed five colonists during a confrontation in Boston, Massachusetts. This was the first moment in which political tensions between British soldiers and American colonists became deadly. Political figure Paul Revere delivered a shocking depiction of the event and fueled hatred against the British. This massacre lit the fuse of revolution. -
First Continental Congress
After being pressured by local groups, colonial legislatures held the first-ever Continental Congress, in which twelve delegates from twelve colonies (Georgia was not included due to the fact they were facing a war with neighboring Native American tribes, the colony did not want to jeopardize British assistance) of North America met to plan resistance against British officials and policies. This meeting marked the beginning of colonial unity. -
Revolutionary War begins
The Revolutionary War began in April of 1775 and was caused by conflicts between the American colonies and Great Britain. The colonists were angry for several reasons and had been protesting for several months before the first battle. The first battles took place at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The first shot of the war was dubbed "the shot heard around the world." These battles led to the creation of the Continental Army under George Washington. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act of 1773 was an act of Great Britain's Parliament and deeply upsetted the colonists of North America. So, in response to this act, colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped three hundred and forty chests of tea from the East India Company into the Boston Harbour. The British considered this protest an act of treason, and the British parliament responded by passing the Intolerable Acts. -
The Declaration of Independence
Formerly titled The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, The Declaration of Independence was a document drafted by future president Thomas Jefferson, in which the colonies declared themselves free and independent from Great Britan, and even listed the reasons why they were doing so. It was signed by a whopping fifty-six delegates. This marked the unification of what was to become the United States. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a major turning point and victory for the colonists in the Revolutionary War. A group of eight thousand British forces were defeated by American forces. Four hundred and forty British forces were killed, six hundred ninety-five wounded, and 6,222 captured. After seeing the colonists win this war, France was convinced to ally with the United States, providing military and financial support. -
Articles of Confederation created
Also known as The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, the Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. It established a very weak, limited central government. This is due to the fact that they feared an immoral and unjust government, like the one they were subjected to under British rule. These articles would later go on to be replaced by the United States constitution.