1636 – the colony called Providence on Rhode Island was formed.
Besides English other countries also founded their colonies. They were Holland, France, Germany and Sweden.
1609 – Henry Hudson was sent by the Dutch to explore rivers, one of which has his name today. (the Hudson River)
1626 – the Dutch bought Manhattan Island from Indian chiefs. (The price of this purchase has become part of American Folklore). On the island the Dutch founded a settlement called New Amsterdam. The English thought differently on the point. That’s why in 1634 the Duke of York seized the colony and renamed it New York.
By 1680s – the British, the Dutch and the Swedes found their way to the new territories.
So, the Swedes founded Delaware.
1681 - William Penn, a Quaker from England, came into possession of a large territory, which later was named in his honour – Pennsylvania.
NB! “ Quaker” comes from the word “to quake” – “to tremble” (“to tremble in the name of God”)
The Quakers were the members of a Christian religious group (sect) which opposed violence and spent most of its religious services in silence. They didn’t recognize the Church and were persecuted by it. Many of them immigrated to North America. They were known for their refusal to participate in war, plain dress, to swear oaths, opposition to slavery, and teetotalism – the opposition to alcohol. Some Quakers have founded banks and financial institutions including Barclays, Lloyds, etc. Nowadays they are known as Friends, members of "Society of Friends".
1732 – the last colony of the period, Georgia, was established. It was inhabited by the English, the Germans and the Scottish Highlanders.
By 1733 – the English occupied 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast.
The French controlled Canada, north and west and the central part of the continent known as Louisiana. The south and Florida belonged to the Spaniards.
Slaves
Among all the immigrants, who came to North America, there was a group which came there unwillingly. They were the Africans who were brought there as slaves since 1619-1808. They were supposed to work on southern plantations.
1619 – the first group of slaves were brought to Virginia. Very soon the slavery system was established in the southern colonies of Virginia, South and North Carolina. It existed up until 1865 when it was officially abolished.
E) The War of Independence / the American Revolution (1775-1783)
Reasons:
1) self-government
All colonies had a tradition of a representative government, i.e. the governors for the colonies were appointed by the English monarch and ruled in cooperation with elected assembly. This assembly was composed from the wealthy colonists. Besides, the right to vote was given to a white male with property. Since so many colonists owned land this meant that far more people had the vote in America than in England itself or in any other European country at this time.
2) Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) & heavy taxes
This war between Britain and France caused lots of money to the British Empire. So the Empire desperately required it to restore its economy. As the result the influence on North American colonies became much stronger, hence leading to a conflict. Furthermore, the new colonies developed rapidly in terms of economy and trade. Britain, of course wasn’t interested in such development. The only legal way to get the money from the colonies was to introduce heavy taxes. On the one hand, taxes would ensure the steady money supply, and on the other hand, would hinder the development of the colonies by making the outside trade difficult. Of all introduced taxes, there were two that caused most displeasure among the colonists. They were:
@ The Quartering Act (the colonists were to house and feed British soldiers)
@ The Stamp Act (a special stamp was to be put on any document from an important one to a simple newspaper)
The latter caused most displeasure among the colonists. All over the country the colonists demanded that their own assemblies could tax them. The most widespread motto of the time was “No taxation without representation”. As a protest the people refused to pay taxes, merchants refused to sell British goods and some even threatened the stamp agents. So eventually the act was abolished, but very soon the new ones on tea and other goods were introduced. What is more a decision was made to close the western lands for settlement, which was very unpopular.
December 1773 – “Boston Tea Party”
A group of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded ships in Boston harbor and threw the crates with tea into the water. As the result of this event Boston was closed to all outside trade and more British troops were sent to colonies. The event also gave boost to the events leading to a war.
Events:
April 19, 1775 – Battles at Lexington & Concord
The British soldiers were sent to seize an arms depot at Concord. At Lexington they were met by hundreds of militiamen. Although the colonists were in majority, the British troops managed to defeat them. These events were known to mark the beginning of the war.
By June 1775 – the colonists surrounded Boston and the British left the city only in march 1776.
May 1775 – the Continental Congress in Philadelphia started to act as a national government. It organized its own army and navy under the command of George Washington. It also printed its own money and opened diplomatic relations with foreign countries.