1. The First English Colonies
* Jamestown (1607)
* First permanent English settlement in North America
* Established by the Virginia Company of London
* Governed by a council appointed by the company
* Plymouth Colony (1620)
* Founded by the Pilgrims, a group of English Puritans
* Governed by a compact signed by all the male settlers
* Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)
* Founded by a group of English Puritans led by John Winthrop
* Governed by a governor and assistants elected by the General Court, a body of all male church members
2. The Development of Colonial Government
* The Colonial Charter
* Each colony was granted a charter by the English crown
* The charter specified the colony's boundaries, the powers of the colonial government, and the relationship between the colony and England
* The Colonial Assembly
* Most colonies had a representative assembly, which was elected by the colonists
* The assembly had the power to make laws, levy taxes, and approve the governor's budget
* The Governor
* The governor was the head of the colonial government
* The governor was appointed by the king or the proprietor (the owner of the colony)
* The governor had the power to veto laws passed by the assembly
3. The Relationship Between the Colonies and England
* The Navigation Acts
* A series of laws passed by Parliament to regulate trade between England and the colonies
* The Navigation Acts required that all goods imported into the colonies be shipped on English ships
* The Navigation Acts also prohibited the colonies from exporting certain goods to other countries
* The Dominion of New England (1686-1689)
* A short-lived attempt by England to consolidate control over the New England colonies
* The Dominion was ruled by a governor-general appointed by the king
* The Dominion was unpopular with the colonists and was overthrown in 1689
4. The American Revolution (1775-1783)
* The Stamp Act (1765)
* A tax imposed by Parliament on all paper goods sold in the colonies
* The Stamp Act was widely unpopular and led to protests and boycotts
* The Boston Massacre (1770)
* A clash between British soldiers and colonists in Boston that left five colonists dead
* The Boston Massacre further inflamed tensions between the colonies and England
* The Declaration of Independence (1776)
* A document written by Thomas Jefferson that declared the colonies' independence from England
* The Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress, a body of delegates from all the colonies
* The American Revolution
* A war between the colonies and England that lasted from 1775 to 1783
* The American Revolution resulted in the victory of the colonies and the establishment of the United States of America