The Colonial Period (1513-1775)
The history of the Spanish, English, French, Dutch, and Swedish colonies between Ponce de Leon's first expedition in 1513 to the start of the American Revolution in 1775.
Florida Hist. Society -- "Ponce de Leon and Florida's Fountain of Youth"
Ponce de Leon, founder of Spanish Florida, is known for having sought the "Fountain of Youth", but in fact this story is most likely a myth.
Recommended Books
- James Horn - A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America
- Francis Jennings - The Ambiguous Iroquois Empire: The Covenant Chain Confederation of Indian Tribes with English Colonies
- Eric B. Schultz - King Philip's War: The History and Legacy of America's Forgotten Conflict
- Walter Isaacson - Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Timeline of Colonial America
- 1539 - Hernando de Soto's expedition lands on the gulf coast of Florida, marauds through the region, and crosses the Mississippi River.
- 1565 - St. Augustine, Florida is founded -- currently the oldest European-established town in the United States.
- 1607 - Jamestown is founded by the Virginia Company of London as a profit-making venture.
- 1619 - First Africans are imported to the colonies as indentured servants. Over the next fifty years a racial caste system develops, culminating in slavery.
- 1620 - Plymouth Colony founded by the Mayflower pilgrims, who missed their target of Virginia by a wide margin.
- 1625 - New Amsterdam is founded by Dutch settlers, will later become New York.
- 1718 - New Orleans is founded by the French to protect the base of the Mississippi River.
- 1730-1750 - The "Great Awakening" religious movement sweeps the east coast, revitalizing religious life.
- 1739-1740 - Stono Rebellion (slave revolt) in South Carolina ends in failure -- 44 slaves and 21 whites killed. Gruesome reprisals ensue.
- 1773 - The Boston Tea Party occurs, and the British place Massachusetts under military rule.
American History Topics
ERAS: Pre-Contact - Colonial - Revolutionary - Antebellum - Gilded Age - Depression/World War II - Modern
PEOPLE: American Indian - Anglo/Scottish - Black - Hispanic - Women - Asian - LGBT - Irish - Jewish - Children
