The Colonial Period

The Colonial Period in U.S. history was a time of settlement, discovery, and hardship. This era is marked by European colonization and expansion into the eastern edges of North America. Colonists often left Europe for America to obtain religious, economic, and political freedoms.

With settlement came hardship as colonists learned how to farm in the new world. Expansion resulted in skirmishes and battles as colonists and Native Americans clashed over resources and use of land. Power struggles also existed between colonizing nations such as France and England.

Labor to work on large farms and plantations in the South was initially performed by indentured servants, but eventually Native American and black Africans were enslaved to meet the demand for labor.

• Original Inhabitants - This table is intended to indicate the location of certain native groups at the time of colonization.... Continue Reading
• King Philip's War - During the days of Massasoit, sachem (chief) of the Wampanoag, the tribe occupied the lands from the eastern side of Narragansett Bay to Cape Cod, including Martha`s Vineyard and Nantucket.... Continue Reading
• Bacon's Rebellion - During the 1670s, the administration of veteran Virginia governor Sir William Berkeley became unpopular with small farmers and frontiersmen, because of the following reasons:... Continue Reading
• Mayflower Compact - The Pilgrim fathers aboard the Mayflower were uneasy as they prepared to set foot on North American soil in late 1620.... Continue Reading
• Marquette and Joliet - Father Marquette, a Jesuit priest, missionary and explorer, was instrumental in expanding French influence in early New France.... Continue Reading
• Plymouth Colony - The Virginia Company of Plymouth, a group of English merchant investors, had failed to establish permanent colonies in the northern reaches of what was then known as Virginia.... Continue Reading
• Massachusetts Bay Colony - The 1620s were a time of political and religious turmoil in England.... Continue Reading
• Cotton Mather - Cotton Mather was a member of one of the most distinguished early Massachusetts families.... Continue Reading
• Anne Bradstreet - Anne Bradstreet is one of the most important figures in the history of American Literature.... Continue Reading
• Benjamin Franklin - As diplomat, scientist, writer, printer and political philosopher, Benjamin Franklin was one of the truly dominant figures of the 18th century.... Continue Reading
• Background of French and Indian War - The early colonial wars between France and Britain were fought primarily in Europe.... Continue Reading
• French and Indian War Timeline
• King George`s War: The Third of the French and Indian Wars- King George's War was the third in a series of Anglo-French colonial conflicts in North America.... Continue Reading
• Slavery in the Colonial Period - African and Native American slaves were first introduced into the English colonies in the early seventeenth century.... Continue Reading