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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus discovers America
Columbus and about 90 men set sail on three ships, The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria to reach "Asia". Instead, they landed in the Americas. -
Jan 1, 1510
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Vasco Nunez de Balboa explored the Caribean coast of what is now Panama. he became the first European to set eyes on the Pacific Ocean. -
Jan 1, 1513
Juan Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon sailed north from Puerto Rico to investigate reports of a large island. He found and named the place he found La Florida. He became the first Spaniard to set foot in what is now the United States. -
Jan 1, 1517
Human Trade
The death toll for Native Americans was rising, causing the Spanish colonists to look across the Atlantic Ocean for a new source of labor. Spain brought 4,000 Africans to the Caribean Islands forcing them to work. By the middle 1500's, 2,000 enslaved Africans were being shipped to Hispanola alone. -
Jan 1, 1519
Cortes
Conquistador Hernando Cortes sailed from Cuba to Mexico with more than 500 soliders. The first Native Americans he met gifted him with gold. Cortes marched Tenochtitlan. As the Spaniards moved father in the capital city, Native Americans joined them. Cortes held and killed Aztec leader Moctezuma. -
Sep 1, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan
Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan set out to find out to find an Atlantic Pacific Passage. His small fleet slowly moved down the South American coast looking for a strait. He became the first person to circumnavigate the entire Earth. -
Jan 1, 1550
Bartolome de Las Casas
Bartolome de Las Casas was a priest traveled through New Spain working for reform. The government of Spain ordered reform of the encomienda system. -
The Spanish Armada
King Phillip II assembled a fleet of 130 warships, the Spanish Armada. The smaller and faster English ships sank many of the Spanish ships. Barely half of the ships returned to Spain. -
Samuel de Champlain
In 1603, Samuel de Champlain made the first of 11 voyages to explore the lands along the St. Lawrence River. He established a settlement on the banks of the St. Lawrence River he named Quebec. He explored the large lake on the border of Vermont. -
Henry Hudson
English explorer Henry Hudson made four voyages in search of the northwest passage. He made four voyages. Two voyages in the Artic Ocean. His English backers gave up on him. The Dutch grew interested in his activities and financed his third expidition. He crossed the Atlantic into New York. His fourth voyage again sailed into the Artic. -
John Smith
John Smith was sent from London to lead the colony of Jamestown. He made tough new rules for Jamestown. Under Smith's new leadership, the colonists cut timber, buildings and planted crops. To get more food, Smith raided Native Americans for food. He then had a starving time in Jamestown. By the spring of 1610, 60 colonists were still alive. -
The Mayflower Compact
In September 1620, about 100 pilgrims sailed for Virginia on a ship called the Mayflower. They arrived safely in North America. They called their home Plymouth. The Pilgrims believed they were not bound by the rules of the Virginia Company. So 41 adult men signed the Mayflower Compact. It was the first colonists claimed a right to govern themselves. -
Thomas Hooker
Thomas Hooker, a minister, disagreed with the Puritan leaders. He left Massachusetts with about 100 followers. He created the town of Hartford. In 1639, colonists made Fundamental Orders. -
Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette had founded two missions along the Great Lakes. Marquette had looked for the Northwest Passage, but was unsuccessful. His river exploration was finished in 1682. -
Nathaniel Bacon
Nathaniel Bacon became the leader of the frontier settlers. He organized about 1000 westerners attacking Native Americans. The governor declared Bacon and his westerners were rebels. He reacted by attacking Jamestown. The revolt was called Bacon's Rebellion.
