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Jamestown Built
Englishmen boarded the boats "the Susan Constant, the Godspeed," and "the discovery." They traveled up the James River and built Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in the United States. -
House of Burgesses Established
The Virginia Company created the House of Burgesses. The House of Burgesses was primarily made up of white land owners. -
The Beginning of Southern Slavery
Dutch slave ships brought twenty African slaves to Virginia colonists. -
Pilgrims Sail to Plymouth
One-hundred Pilgrims, men and women, set sail on the Mayflower and arrived at Plymouth. -
Puritans Founded Massachusetts Bay
John Winthrop, along with other Puritans, traveled north of Plymouth to find and colonize Massachusetts Bay. John Winthrop became the governor. -
Maryland Founded
George Calvert was a Catholic man given a charter from King Charles I to establish a colony north of Virginia. After he died, Calver's sons established and assumed control of Maryland. -
Rhode Island Founded
Roger Williams was a Puritan minister that believed he was more pure than the rest of the Puritans. For this he was banished from Massachusetts Bay. In his banishment, he bought land from Indians, from which Rhode Island was born. -
Connecticut Founded
Thomas Hooker disagreed with the leaders in Massachusetts Bay. He left with his family and about one-hundred others to establish Connecticut. In 1636, Hartford was established and in 1639, Connecticut became a colony. -
Founding of the Carolinas
Carolina was granted to eight proprietors. The first charter of government, written by John Locke, was largely ignored by the people already living in Carolina. -
New York and New Jersey Founded
New York, originally New Netherlands, was handed over from the Dutch to the Duke of York. The Duke of York gave some of the land to two of his friends, which temporarily created East and West Jersey. -
Pennsylvania Founded
Charles II gave William Penn, a Quaker, a charter to form a large colony south of New York. It would be called Pennsylvania.
