1493—october 12, christopher columbus discovered land belonging the western hemisphere—one of the bahama islands. he touches at cuba and hayti before his return.

1497—john cabot, master of an english vessel, and his son sebastian, touched at newfoundland in june, and soon after explored the coast of labrador.

1498—columbus, on his third voyage, discovers the american continent, near the mouth of the orinoco river, in south america.

—sebastian cabot, in a second voyage, first of europeans, explores our atlantic coast as far south as maryland.

1499—amerigo vespucci, or americus vespucius, a florentine merchant, conducts a vessel to the coast of south america. returning to europe he publishes a book, claiming to have first discovered the continent, and it receives his name, america.

1500—columbus is sent to spain in chains by a spanish officer whom the jealousy of ferdinand, the spanish king, placed over him. treated with injustice and neglect, he died at valladolid, spain, in 1506.

1512—ponce de leon, a spaniard in search of the “fountain of youth,” discovers florida, near st. augustine.

1524—john verrazani, a florentine, commanding a french vessel, touches the coast near wilmington, north carolina,[152] and explores it north to nova scotia. he wrote a narrative describing the country and the indians.

1535—james cartier, a french navigator, discovers the st. lawrence.

1541—he builds a fort at quebec, but soon abandons it.

—de soto, a spaniard, discovers the mississippi. he traveled, with six hundred men, through georgia and alabama, and fought a bloody battle with the indians near mobile. these indians had a walled town of several thousand inhabitants. thence he traveled west to the mississippi and red rivers. he died at the mouth of the red river, may 21, 1542.

1553—persecution of the english puritans commences.

1562—french huguenots attempt a settlement in florida. they gave the name carolina to the coast on the north. the first colony is discouraged, and returns. in the year 1564 another huguenot colony is founded on the river may.

1565—melendez, a spaniard, founds st. augustine, september 8th, with five hundred colonists. it was the first permanent settlement in the united states.

—melendez destroys the french colony.

1567—the chevalier gouges (french) attacks st. augustine, and puts to death two hundred spaniards in retaliation.

1578—the first english settlement contemplated. queen elizabeth grants a patent to sir humphrey gilbert “to such remote, heathen, and barbarous lands as he should find in north america.” he makes two attempts to plant a colony—in 1579 and in 1583—fails in each, and perishes with his vessel, september 23, 1583.

1584—sir walter raleigh receives a similar patent, and sends two vessels to the shores of pamlico sound. queen elizabeth names the country virginia.

1585—raleigh sends a colony to roanoke island, but it is unfortunate, and returns home.

1587—he sends another colony, but the spanish armada[153] threatening england, he could not send it supplies for some time, and when visited, later, no trace of it could be found. discouraged, he gives up his patent to a london company of merchants, who content themselves to trade with the indians.

1602—bartholomew gosnold visits new england.

1603—henry iv., king of france, grants acadia (nova scotia) to sieur de monts, who founds a colony on the bay of fundy, at port royal in 1605.

1606—james i., king of england, establishes the london and plymouth companies for settling north america.

1607—the plymouth company land a colony at the mouth of the kennebec river. it is unfortunate, and returns to england.

—the london company send out an expedition, which, accidentally discovering chesapeake bay, enter, and found a colony on james river, at jamestown. the romantic captain john smith was one of the colonists. this was the first permanent english settlement in north america.

1608—smith seeking, by orders from the london company, a passage to the pacific ocean, up the chickahominy, is taken prisoner by the indians, condemned to death, and saved by pocahontas.

—quebec founded by the french under champlain.

—the english puritans, persecuted in england, take refuge in holland.

1609—lord delaware is appointed governor of virginia, which receives a new charter, and a considerable accession of numbers.

—part of the expedition, however, was shipwrecked, and the colony, embracing a large unruly and indolent element, is near perishing. pocahontas repeatedly saves them from the indians. hudson river and lake champlain discovered.

1610—lord delaware, having been delayed, arrives (after the[154] discouraged colonists had embarked to return to england) with supplies, and saves the settlement.

1613—pocahontas marries john rolfe, an englishman.

—the dutch erect a fort at new york.

1615—they build fort orange, near albany.

1619—the first general assembly elected by the people is called in virginia, by governor yeardley. eleven boroughs, or towns, were each represented by two burgesses, or citizens. it was the dawn of civil liberty in virginia, and a germ of the future republic.

1620—convicts are sent to virginia, and negro slaves introduced.

—september 6th, the puritans, discontented in holland, set sail in the mayflower, from plymouth, england, for america, under the auspices of the “plymouth company.”

—december 21st they land on plymouth rock, and, amid great hardships, found a religious colony.

—james i. grants a charter to the grand council of plymouth for governing new england.

1621—a district called mariana granted to john mason.

—plymouth colony makes a treaty with massasoit.

—cotton first planted in virginia.

1622—sir ferdinand gorges and john mason obtain a charter of maine and new hampshire. they plant a colony on the piscataqua river.

—an indian conspiracy nearly proves fatal to the virginia colony. march 22d, at noon, an attack is made on all the settlements, and in an hour nearly a fourth part of the colony is massacred. the colonists, in a bloody war, thoroughly chastise the indians.

1624—virginia becomes a royal province, but stoutly maintains its legislative authority.

1625—death of robinson, the distinguished puritan divine, in holland.

[155]

1629—massachusetts colony patented, and settlement made at salem, by john endicott.

—charlestown, mass., founded.

—the dutch colonize the west side of delaware river.

1630—patent of carolina made to sir robert heath.

1631—massachusetts general court confines the privilege of voting to church members.

—clayborne plants a colony on kent island.

—the dutch erect a trading fort at hartford.

1632—maryland granted to lord baltimore.

1633—connecticut colony founded.

1636—roger williams founds providence.

1637—pequod war in connecticut.

1638—rhode island settled by followers of anne hutchinson.

—harvard college founded.

—swedes and finns settle delaware.

—colony of new haven founded. persecution in massachusetts.

1640—montreal, canada, founded.

1641—new hampshire united to massachusetts.

1643—the germ of the american union is planted by a confederation of plymouth, massachusetts, connecticut, and new haven. it was for mutual protection and support, and was kept alive about forty years.

1645—clayborne causes an insurrection in maryland.

—the mohawks mediate between the dutch and algonquins.

—witchcraft superstition commences.

1646—john elliott becomes a missionary to the indians.

1649—the mohawk war on the french settlements and jesuits.

1650—common school laws passed in connecticut.

1651—english “navigation act” forbids colonists to trade with any country but england, and restricts trade among the colonies. thus the english make all the[156] profits. english merchants set the price of purchases and sales.

1651—persecution of the quakers in massachusetts.

—proprietary government subverted in maryland.

1657—elliott translates the bible into the indian language.

1662—winthrop obtains a liberal charter for hartford and new haven.

1663—carolina granted to a company of noblemen.

1664—the dutch conquer the swedes on the delaware.

new york granted to the duke of york, who sends a force to dispossess the dutch. it is done without fighting.

new jersey granted to berkely and carteret.

1665—lake superior discovered by father allouez.

1668—st. mary’s, between lake superior and lake huron, the first french settlement within the boundaries of the united states, founded.

1670—mr. locke’s philosophical constitution introduced in carolina. it soon proved an absurd failure.

1673—the upper mississippi discovered by marquette.

1675—king philip’s war in new england. he was a warrior of great ability and activity. fourteen towns were destroyed by the indians, and six hundred inhabitants killed. philip is killed august 12, 1676, and the indian tribes very nearly destroyed.

1676—three of the regicides (judges of charles i., king of england) came to new england.

—new jersey divided into east and west jersey, at the suggestion of wm. penn.

bacon’s rebellion in favor of popular rights, in virginia.

1677—virginia obtains a new charter.

massachusetts purchases maine.

1678—sir edmund andross, royal governor of new york, usurps the government of the jerseys.

1679—new hampshire becomes a royal province, but the[157] people make a successful stand for their legislative privileges.

—massachusetts having disregarded the navigation act, edward randolph was sent as inspector of customs. he failed to enforce the act, and in 1682 the charter of massachusetts was annulled.

1680—charleston, south carolina, founded.

1681—wm. penn receives a grant of pennsylvania from charles ii.

—penn restores the proprietary government in the jerseys.

—he founds philadelphia; makes a treaty with the indians; and governs east jersey.

1682—la salle visits and names louisiana.

1686—sir edmund andross being made governor-general over new england, proceeds in a very tyrannical manner. he endeavored to get possession of the charter of connecticut, but failed, though he took possession of the government.

1688—new york and new jersey came under the jurisdiction of andross; but james ii., the tyrannical king of england, being deposed, massachusetts imprisoned andross. rhode island and connecticut resumed their charter governments; but massachusetts, having given offense by resistance to the navigation act, never recovered her original charter.

—france having espoused the cause of the dethroned king, a war broke out between france and england, known as “king william’s” war.

1689—the government of new york is seized by jacob leisler for king william.

1690—may 1st, a congress of colonial delegates meets at new york to concert measures for the common defense.

february 18th, destruction of schenectady, n. y., and massacre of the inhabitants by the indians, sent by the french, from canada.

—march 18th, salmon falls, new hampshire, on the[158] piscataqua river, is destroyed by the french and indians. casco, maine, is also destroyed.

—sir william phipps, governor of massachusetts, invades canada, unsuccessfully.

—french protestants settle in virginia and carolina.

1691—slaughter becomes governor of new york. he executes leisler.

1692—massachusetts receives a new charter. her limits are enlarged, but her privileges restricted.

—texas settled by the spaniards, at bexar.

1695—rice brought to carolina, from africa.

1697—the peace of ryswick terminates king william’s war.

1698—piracies of captain kidd. he was tried and executed in england, in 1701.

1699—pensacola is settled by the spaniards.

1701—william penn grants a new charter to pennsylvania.

1702—the jerseys united and joined to new york.

“queen anne’s war” breaks out. new england suffered much from the ravages of the indians.

—governor moore, of south carolina, attacks st. augustine, but without success.

—mobile founded by d’iberville, with a colony of canadian french.

—the massachusetts assembly contend with the royal governor for their former liberties. their charter is still further restricted.

1703—delaware (called the territories) is separated from pennsylvania.

1706—the french and spaniards invade carolina. they are repulsed with loss.

1707—detroit, michigan, settled by the french.

1710—many thousand germans, from the palatinate, settle in the colonies, from new york to the carolinas.

1712—a war with the tuscaroras, in north carolina, results in their complete defeat. they unite with the iroquois.

[159]

1713—crown point, on lake champlain, and niagara, are fortified by the french.

the peace of utrecht closes queen anne’s war.

1715—in a war with the yamassees, south carolina loses four hundred inhabitants, but expels the indians.

1716—natchez founded by the french.

1717—father rasles, a jesuit missionary at norridgwock, maine, excites the indians to drive out the english from maine. he is the last of the jesuit missionaries, and is slain in the capture of norridgwock, in august, 1724, by new england troops.

1718—new orleans founded by the french.

1720—a royal government supersedes the proprietary, in carolina.

1723—first settlement made in vermont.

1729—north and south carolina erected into separate governments.

1732—a company in england prepare to settle georgia.

1733—general oglethorpe, with a colony, arrives in georgia.

1736—many scotch highlanders and germans settle in georgia.

1738—insurrection of the slaves in south carolina.

1740—general oglethorpe invades florida. he is repulsed. the moravians settle in pennsylvania.

1742—the spanish invade georgia, but retire with loss.

1744—“the old french war” begins.

1745—the new england colonies raise a force and capture louisburg, the “gibraltar of america,” from the french.

1748—the treaty of peace of aix la chapelle, restores louisburg to france, to the great disgust of the colonies.

1750—the french and english both claim the mississippi and ohio valleys. lawrence washington, and others form the ohio company. parliament grants it six hundred thousand acres of land on, or near, the ohio river.[160] the french dispute the possession, and threaten summary ejectment.

1753—george washington is sent by governor dinwiddie, of virginia, as an envoy to the french and indians in ohio.

1754—the french build fort du quesne (now pittsburgh). washington defeats a french party headed by de jumonville. the french are reinforced by fifteen hundred men, and washington with four hundred men, after defending himself one day, capitulates.

—the british government, in expectation of a speedy war with france, recommend the colonies to form a union for defense. delegates from seven colonies meet at albany, june 14, 1754. a plan of union was drawn up by benjamin franklin. connecticut rejected it as giving too much power to the english government. parliament rejected it as giving too much to the colonies.

1755—braddock’s defeat in pennsylvania.

—war with the cherokees, in tennessee.

—the french, under dieskau, are defeated at lake george.

1756—war was formally declared, two years after it actually begun.

1757—fort william henry, being attacked by an overwhelming force of french and indians, surrenders, and the garrison are massacred by the indians.

1758—july 6, louisburg captured by the english under general amherst.

—general abercrombie is repulsed in an attack on fort ticonderoga, and lord howe, much liked in the colonies, is killed.

—august 27, fort frontenac, now kingston, canada, taken by col. bradstreet.

—november 25, fort du quesne taken by the english, under general forbes.

[161]

1759—general wolfe, commander of the english, and general montcalm, of the french army, meet in battle on the heights of abraham, near quebec. wolfe’s army conquered, but both commanders lost their lives. quebec capitulated.

george iii. ascends the throne of england.

1760—september 8th, canada surrendered to the english.

massachusetts vigorously opposes “writs of assistance” (search warrants for goods that had not paid the duty).

1761—the cherokees reduced to peace by colonel grant.

in october, mr. pitt, the english prime minister, always a friend of the colonies, resigns.