By 1640 the British had solid colonies established along the New England coast and the Chesapeake Bay. In between were the Dutch and the tiny Swedish community. To the west were the original Americans, the Indians.

A map of the North American Colonies in 1643 at the establishment of the New England Confederation. The map is color-coded to show the territorial claims of the British, French, Dutch, and Swedish at the time, and shows the British...

A map of the New England Colonies showing the westward expansion of the Pilgrims from Plymouth (1620) to Stamford, Connecticut (1641). The map shows settlements in the area with dates of establishment given, colony boundaries, New...

A map of the New Jersey Colony between the establishment of the Dutch settlement at Bergen (1620) and the unification of East and West Jersey in 1702. The map shows the 'North River’ (Hudson River) and 'South River’ (Delaware River), the...

A map of the Middle Colonies of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, with portions of New York, Maryland and Delaware, showing the early European settlements in the area from 1609 to 1702. The map shows the boundary between West New...

A map of the New England colonies showing the early permanent Pilgrim settlements and their dates of establishment, including Plymouth (1620), Little Harbor, New Hampshire (1623), Pemaquid, Maine (1625), Salem, Massachusetts (1628),...

A map of the eastern portion of North America showing the British, Spanish, and Indian territories after the French and Indian War (1754-1763), with the proclamation line as established by the Treaty of Paris (1763). "The newly acquired...

A map of eastern North America in 1783 at the end of the American Revolutionary War, showing the territory of the newly formed United States as proposed by the Treaty of Paris, the Canadian border extending to the Ohio River proposed by...

Factors that shaped British Colonial America. Compare and contrast life in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies.

Most settlers who came to America in the 17th century were English, but there were also Dutch, Swedes and Germans in the middle region, a few French Huguenots in South Carolina and elsewhere, slaves from Africa, primarily in the South,...

A history of the French colonial empire from their efforts in Africa to those in southeast Asia. The article discusses the First French Empire in the New World, and the attempts to establish colonies during the Imperialism period of the...

Describes the three expeditions organized by Sir Walter Raleigh to establish an English colony on Roanoke Island. The last group of colonists who settled there in 1587 disappeared and their fate is still not known for certain.

This sample task contains a set of primary and authentic sources about the development of regions in the Thirteen Colonies.

Part of a larger site, the primary sources here deal with the competition among the European countries in establishing a foothold in the New World.

The year 1492 marks a watershed in modern world history. Columbus's voyage of discovery inaugurated a series of developments that would have vast consequences for both the Old World and the New. It transformed the diets of both the...

For a variety of reasons, those who came to settle the early colonies sought a new homeland. Puritans, for example, established several settlements in Massachusetts. These English colonists were a pious, self-disciplined people who...

A concise summary of the establishment of the Carolina colony in 1663.

A slideshow explaining the history of Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions to the New World, beginning with a 1578 voyage with his half-brother on a search for the Northwest Passage, followed by several expeditions to try to establish a...

When the Virginia Company of London began planning for its new colony in Virginia in 1607, leaders developed a 'wish list.' Over a period of seventeen years, King James I granted several charters to the Company, establishing an English...

Students explore the role and impact religion had on the establishment of the American colonies and its continued influence throughout the formation of the American identity. Foundational literary works, speeches, and documents...

During the religious upheavals of the 16th century, a body of men and women called Puritans sought to reform the Established Church of England from within. Essentially, they demanded that the rituals and structures associated with Roman...

Native Americans inhabited the New World long before European explorers began establishing settlements on the land. This entry addresses the challenges the natives had to face upon Europe's arrival, trials in relationships, and how...

Lane is best known for being sent to the New World on a mission to establish a settlement on Roanoke Island, by order of Sir Walter Raleigh. Discover how successful his expedition was and other biographical data about the explorer.

This resource presents a biographical essay about William Penn that highlights his role in the establishment of Pennsylvania.