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Christopher Columbus set out across the Atlantic looking for a faster way to Asia. Instead, he landed in the Caribbean, opening the door to European exploration of the “New World.” -
During the 1500s, Spanish explorers and soldiers arrived in the Americas. They claimed land, took riches, and built settlements, forever changing life for Native peoples. -
The English founded Jamestown in Virginia, their first permanent colony. At first, settlers starved and faced disease, but tobacco farming—and help from local Native Americans—kept the colony alive -
A group of English Pilgrims crossed the ocean on the Mayflower. They landed in Massachusetts and built Plymouth Colony, signing the Mayflower Compact to promise they would govern themselves fairly. -
Over the next hundred years, English colonies spread along the Atlantic coast. Farms, towns, and trade brought opportunity, but conflict with Native Americans and hardships were never far away.