Timeline Description: The American Colonies began as a way for the religiously oppressed people of England to escape persecution in their homeland. The colonies grew into large stretches of land filled with people searching for adventure and willing to work hard. It set the spirit for what would eventually become the United States of America.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1604 | King James I After reining for a only single year, King James I announced he would no longer tolerate Puritans in England. This attitude set many Puritans on the course of leaving the country. |
| 1606 | A journey across the ocean An expedition across the Atlantic Ocean started toward the Americas. It was sponsored by the London Company in hopes of establishing trade, but many Puritans were on board the ship seeking freedom. |
| 1607 | Jamestown Jamestown was established in Virginia. Shortly after this, John Smith was taken captive by local Indians and saved from execution by Pocahontas. |
| 1619 | A Colonial Government The Virginia House of Burgesses became the first colonial government. It was set up in Jamestown. |
| 1607 | The Mayflower Compact The Mayflower sailed into what would become Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Puritans aboard the ship made a pact to obey a certain set of laws in the colonies. It was the first official piece of government in the land. |
| 1626 | The purchase of Manhattan Island A Dutch colonist named Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indians. He named it New Amsterdam. |
| 1635 | The first school The colonists recognized the need to establish schools for their children. Many schools were held in the town meeting houses, but in 1635, the first public school, Boston Latin School, was established. |
| 1636 | The first University Harvard College was established as a form of higher learning. |
| 1636 | Rhode Island Colony Roger Williams, after being cast out of Massachusetts, purchased land from the Indians and started Providence Plantation, the first colony in Rhode Island. |
| 1663 | Carolina is established King Charles II established the Carolina Colony. |
| 1664 | New Netherlands becomes New York The New York territory belonged to the Dutch and was called New Netherlands, but in 1664 the land was overtaken by the English and was renamed New York. |
| 1680 | The birth of New Hampshire The land that would become the New Hampshire Colony was originally a part of Massachusetts. In 1680 it broke apart and became its own colony. |
| 1681 | Pennsylvania is established The Quakers were a religious group that was finding it hard to gain acceptance from many in the colonies. A Quaker leader named William Penn was granted a charter from King Charles II and helped settle the Pennsylvania colony. |
| 1703 | Delaware As more settlers arrived in the New World more colonies were established and colonists pushed further and further out from the main settlements. During this time, Delaware broke apart from Pennsylvania and became its own colony. |
| 1732 | The thirteenth colony Georgia was founded as the last of the 13 English Colonies. It was established as a haven for those who owed large debts. |
| 1680 | Taxation without representation (1680's-1770's ) During a period of a hundred years, the English took more liberties with the colonists, taxing them unfairly and not giving them protection or supplies in return. Colonists grew increasingly frustrated with England. |
| 1776 | American Independence American colonists decided once and for all that they could no longer live under British rule. They signed the Declaration of Independence, and won their freedom a few years later in the American Revolutionary War. |