History of America 1607

British set up colony at Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia May 24 1607. With a flourish of trumpets, 105 men under the leadership of Captain Christopher Newport have established the colony called Jamestown at the mouth of the James River on the Virginia coast.
The Rev. Robert Hunt offered a prayer, and the settlers immediately went to work unloading supplies from three ships that lay offshore. The ships were the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery. They left England last December with 144 colonists including several ‘gentlemen’ a blacksmith, a carpenter, a barber, a minister and a number of bricklayers and soldiers. Of those who embarked no fewer than 39 men died during the crossing
Instructions from the funding company, given by way of advice, were aimed at averting the mistakes made at Roanoake Island, where all the colonists have been lost, evidently to Indian attacks or disease.

Smith wins first American jury trial
Jamestown September 1607.
Captain John Smith has been exonerated of all charges of conspiracy to mutiny and awarded 200 pounds in damages in the first jury trial in America. The same jury has found Edward Maria Wingfield guilty of libel against Smith.
Evidently there has been some acrimony between Smith and Wingfield since the colonists left England.

Champlain founds Quebec Colony
Quebec July 3 1608.
Samuel de Champlain the noted French geographer and explorer, has formally asserted his country’s authority over Quebec as the capital of New France. The site of the new colony, which was formerly known by its iroquois name of Stadacona, was discovered three quarters of a century ago by Jaques Cartier, the famous navigator.
Champlain first visited the area in 1603, entering the St. Lawrence River with an expedition under the command of Francois Grave du Pont.

Pocahontas seized, baptised, weds Rolfe Jamestown, Virginia Apr 5, 1614.
The small church of Jamestown, graced as always with displays of wildflowers, is the scene of an event offering hope to all Virginia. Pocahontas, daughter of King Powhatan, had wed the farmer John Rolfe. Powhatan refused to attend the ceremony, but intimated that he approved of the union and would cease the attacks on Jamestown. While the marriage is based on true affection, Pocahontas, now named Rebecca did not enter the Jamestown community of her own volition. Although originally held captive by the British as ransom for prisoners taken by Powhatan, she was well treated and took daily lessons in the bible. She is pictured opposite.

First legislature created in America. Jamestown Aug. 14 1619 The first general assembly in the New World has adjourned after meeting in a little church beside the James River - under miserable conditions. The weather was unbearably hot, and of the 30 men present, several were taken ill and one died.
Nevertheless the body of men called ‘burgesses’ was able to pass many laws as well as a half dozen revisions of what is called the ‘Greate Charter’.

Separatists set out for New World. Plymouth, England Sept. 16 1620. A determined band of 35 religious dissenters set sail for Virginia today in the Mayflower, jubilant at the prospect of practising their unorthodox brand of worship in the New World Accompanied by 66 non- Puritans, the Separatists, led by William Bradford and William Brewster, have rejected the Anglican Church’s official interpretation of the Bible in favour of their own reading and they have obtained an 8,000 acre land grant from the Virginia Company complete with fishing rights, permission to trade with neighbouring Indians and a degree of latitude in self-government. Most are Londoners but some are from Holland.

First Negro is Born. Jamestown 1624.
This year the first Negro child to be born in the American colonies, William Tucker, was baptised. Tucker is a child of Africans who were sold to the British colony in 1619, as indentured servants. These Africans, brought to work on the plantations of the settlers, were expected to serve out a term of indenture before being freed. It is not known whether the child will be expected to work as a servant or a free man but will be welcomed as an addition to the labourers harvesting the riches of this new land.

Manhattan bought for $24 by Dutch. Manhattan Sept. 1626. Following negotiations, a Dutch group led by Peter Minuit agreed to pay the Canarsee Indians the value of 60 guilders or $24 in beads and trinkets for the 22 square-mile island of Manhattan. The Canarsees were reportedly not interested in being paid in gold and silver. Last year the Dutch settled new Amsterdam at the tip of Manhattan Island . Willem Verhulst, sent by the Dutch to lead the settlement was accused of miss-management and replaced

Catholics found colony. Maryland March 25, 1634
George Calvert’s dream of founding a Catholic enclave in the English colonies has become a reality with the landing of 128 Catholic settlers on St. Clement Island in Maryland. Calvert had been the principle secretary to King James 1 of England. He persuaded King James to grant him a new colony north of Virginia that would be dedicated to religious freedom. Two Jesuit priests who accompanied the colonists, today, erected a large wooden cross and celebrated the first Catholic mass.

New Sweden set up on the Delaware. Fort Christina May 1638.
The name New Sweden to describe the new colony on the Delaware River is a misnomer since the backbone of the settlement is Finnish and led by three angry Dutchmen. The most prominent being Peter Minuit who bought Manhattan from the Indians. Following a disagreement with the Dutch West India Company Minuit joined the Swedish west India Company and with the backing of queen Christina , the vessels Key of Calmar and Griffin dropped anchor just above Cape Henlopen. The Finns have brought to America a type of house that may be uniquely suited to the frontier: the one story log cabin which is caulked with fire-hardened clay inside and out.

King Charles Beheaded. London Jan 30 1649. Condemned after a brief trial as a “tyrant, traitor, murderer and public enemy”, and sentenced to die “by the severing of his head from his body”, Charles I was beheaded today in a heavily guarded execution that took place at Whitehall palace.
The day as bitterly cold as the doomed king, appearing calm and dignified, stepped through the specially enlarged window that gave onto the scaffold where two masked executioners awaited him.
Holding up the severed head, one executioner then uttered the traditional cry “Behold the head of a traitor”.

First Jew arrives, 23 others follow. New Amsterdam Sept 7 1654.
A group of 23 Sephardic Jews reached here today aboard the St. Charles, a French armed vessel. Their arrival follows an order giving the 5,000 Jews of Recife, Brazil three months to leave. That order came after the Portuguese seized control of the territory from the Dutch in January. Jacob Barsimon, the first Jew to settle in New Amsterdam, landed on August 22, possibly sent by the Jewish community in Recife to start a colony

Quakers hanged for resisting banishment. Boston Oct. 27,1659
Two men of the Quaker sect, which Boston’s authorities regard as pestilential and disruptive, were hanged today on Boston Common. William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson along with Mary Dyer, were led from their cells under a 200 man guard who with drums and colours, were armed with halberds guns swords and pikes and under orders to prevent the Quakers haranguing the crowd.

Dutch meekly yield colony to British. New Amsterdam Sept. 25, 1664.
Following several days of tense negotiation and the eminent threat of seizure by force, the Dutch settlement of new Amsterdam has surrendered without firing a shot, to the British forces surrounding this little town at the tip of Manhattan. The British move, ordered by King Charles II, took New Netherland by surprise: the Dutch defences included only 20 cannon and 250 soldiers and militia, while the British fleet here boasts 120 guns and 500 veteran troops.
Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant sought to rally his small detachment to defend the colony, but crowds of townspeople thronged the street begging Stuyvesant to avoid bloodshed and destruction. The governor allowed his closest advisors to lead him away from the walls of the fort as burning matchsticks were poised above the cannons. “Let it be so”, the old general said “I would rather be carried to my grave”.

“Aristos” get Carolinas. London March 24, 1663
Charles II one of the most popular kings in the history of Britain, has decided to reward those supporters who played principal roles in preparing the way for the restoration by granting them an immense area of land. The land is called “Carolina and it is situated between the Virginia colony and Spain’s Florida territory.
The most prominent of the eight men being awarded the vast grant is General George Monk, the Duke of Albemarle, whose armed forces kept the peace in London during the period in 1660 when plans were foot to place Charles back on the throne of England.

King gives Dutch land to Duke of York. London March 1664
King Charles has granted large tracts of land in North America to his brother James, Duke of York. The royal order gives James “all the land from the west side of Connecticut River to the east side of De la Ware Bay”, “with power and Authority of Government and Command

New Jersey is Founded. Elizabethtown Aug. 1665.
The British having taken over New Netherland from the Dutch with a naval expedition have proceeded to create a new colony with a stroke of the quill. In July of 1664, it is to be known as New

Peace Treaty gives Dutch land to British Breda, Holland, July 21, 1667
The Peace of Breda has ended the second Anglo-Dutch War with a treaty confirming Britain’s hold on the former Dutch colony of New Netherland, now new York in exchange for Surinam and the island of Poleron near the Moluccas.
The English administration under Colonel Nicholls changed many place names but maintained the Dutch municipal and civil officer, even letting them name successors. Property of the Dutch West India company, was confiscated during the recent war.

Mail delivered by Boston Post Road
Boston Jan 1 673.
Regular mounted mail service has begun between New York and Boston, costing nine pence for the delivery of a letter. The mail is delivered by what is called a“ Post Road” because men and horses are posted at intervals. Last year Governor Lovelace of New York attempted to set up a monthly post to Boston

Attempt to Collect Customs London 1673.
Colonial merchants have developed a lively trade selling product outside the British Empire for huge profits and now Parliament is putting a stop to it. With passages of the Plantation Duty Act, Britain will, for the first time, impose duties on any ship carrying certain products, such as sugar cotton and tobacco, between colonial ports. This is to arrest the practice of shipping goods between colonial ports, re-labelling them and reshipping them to foreign ports.

First Coffee-house is licensed in Boston. Boston 1676.
A new fashion from London is catching-on, the drinking of bitter, stimulating beverages called coffee and chocolate, and it has led to the spread of “chocolate houses” and “Coffee Houses ” “six years ago, Dorothy Jones, a Boston taverner, first advertised ”cuchaletto“, a drink made from ground roasted South American beans. This year Boston licensed its first coffee house.

Indians rise against British Settlers. Massachusetts Aug 28 1676.
Metacom, Chief Achem of the Wampanoags who is called King Philip by the British, has been killed by soldiers at Mount Hope, his original home. Metacom’s remaining warriors have escaped to the northern wilderness, leaving New England at peace after a year of vicious fighting marked by torture and betrayal on both sides.
Metacom was in hiding at Mount Hop, but his location was leaked to the British by a fellow Indian whom he had offended. Canochet, sachem of the Narragansett, was ambushed and captured earlier in the year. Pequot warriors, allied with the English, shot him and sent his head to the colonists at Hartford as a token of friendship.
The probable underlying cause of the recent fighting is the incompatibility of Indian life with that of the colonists. Missionaries had only mixed success in converting the Algonquin Indian tribes to Christianity.

William Penn founds Quaker Colony. Pennsylvania December 1682. Since the arrival of the proprietor in October, much work has been done in organising the governmental and economic structure of the new colony . William Penn, son of the late admiral and a convert to Quakerism, received the land from Charles II in lieu of £16,000 owed to the family by the king. Penn who sees the colony as a refuge for his co-religionists, has been adamant in his insistence on religious tolerance in the colony. This is no surprise considering the persecution under which he and his fellow Quakers have suffered both in England and America.
Uch work has been done to improve the colony. A surveyor sent by the proprietor has begun laying out a new city, to be called Philadelphia. The colony is to be governed by an elected assembly under the proprietor .

William & Mary Become co-rulers
London Feb.13, 1689
The constitutional crisis that has brought England to the brink of anarchy ended today with the proclamation that Prince William of Orange and his wife, Mary, the older daughter of King James II, are to be joint sovereigns of this nation. Prince William lone I to be responsible for the administration of the kingdom.

Rebel takes New York, ousts old regime
New York City Oct. 14, 1689.
The Glorious Revolution in England that ousted King James II has had major repercussions on this side of the Atlantic. In a recent uprising in Bosto, William and Mary, were proclaimed the sovereigns of the colony. In response in New York, Captain Jacob Leisler, led a rebellion and set up a provisional government hailing William & Mary as opposed to the faction in favour of James II.

20 In Salem executed for Witchcraft. Massachusetts, 1692.
Like a child awakening from a convulsion, the people of Massachusetts slowly find themselves conscious of their terrifying deeds. Since March 20, men and women have been executed for witchcraft; 19 were hanged, and one man, stubbornly silent about his actions, was pressed to death by a stone. Most of these witches were once respected parents and grandparents. A deputy constable was among the number, as was a minister. All professed to be innocent, while all those who have confessed have been spared. The acused are many. More than 50 people from Salem and nearby towns crowd the dank prison awaiting trial.
In December of last year, Salem was quiet, and the home of the rev. Samuel Parris was as quiet as any. Betty Parris aged 9, and her cousin 11 year-old Abigail Adams, relieved the tedium by talking with the family slave, Tituba, a woman of uncertain years raised in the West Indies. In January, the girls and some of their friends, ranging in age from 12 to 20, began to be taken with fits, writhing on the floor, contorting themselves and screaming when the Lord’s name was spoken. “Who torments you” members of the family pleaded to know “Tituba”, the girls said.

In March, preliminary hearings were held. While Tituba never invoked Satan’s name, she did confess to being his servant, muttering of rats, cats and a book of black magic signed by nine in Salem. The girls shrieked the names of two of the signers and the witch hunt began. ‘Spectral evidence’ which is supernatural visions of the accused performing wicked acts has condemned the guilty

Captain Kidd is seized on Piracy Charges.
New York City July, 1699
Captain William Kidd has been charged with piracy von the high seas. A legitimate English naval hero who served the king well during the war with France, Kidd was granted a royal commission four years ago to seek out and capture pirates wherever he found them. But since the lure of plunder apparently was greater than the benefits of His Majesty’s Service, the captain himself turned into a fierce buccaneer and has been waylaying ships , their crews and cargos from the Red Sea to the Americas. Now he has turned himself in, to authorities in New York, where he was arrested and faces a variety of piracy and murder charges.

Queen Anne’s War spreads to America
Newfoundland Aug. 29, 1704.
After a desultory 12-day engagement, the English settlement of Bonavista, on Newfoundland’s east coast has been taken by a combined French and Indian force. The loss is not considered serious and was preceded by two successful expeditions to the north by Colonel Benjamin Church: last months raid against the Abenaki supply base at Beaubassin and the earlier attack on Minas in Acadia. These actions are American extensions of the Queen Anne War with the French in Europe. The reverse at Bonavista is on a much smaller scale than the brutal assault on Deerfield, Massachusetts on February 29 of this year. When 49 settlers were massacred.

New Capitol finished at Williamsburg. Virginia 1705
Colonists in America might be accused of engaging in radical politics, but they are conservative when it comes to architecture. The recently completed capitol at Williamsburg, is a reflection of that fact. Begun in 1701 and completed this year, the building is probably the design of Sir Christopher Wren or his pupil James Gibbs. The colonists have rejected futuristic and ponderous experiments of the Palladian school, popular in Europe in favour of the simplicity and elegance of the school of Wren.

Dreaded Blackbeard killed and beheaded. Virginia Nov. 22, 1718
The scourge of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Captain Edward Teach, popularly known as ‘Blackbeard’ is no more. He was killed and his body mutilated by a member of the Royal Navy, Lieutenant Maynard, who engaged the notorious pirate off the coast of Virginias today. A murderer and a rapist he was the husband of 14 wives, whom he shared with his crew. When slain, Blackbeard had 25 wounds, including 5 inflicted by the pistols of Maynard’s men. After Maynard had killed Teach, he cut off his head and mounted it on his ship’s mast.

French send prostitutes to New Orleans. New Orleans 1721
The shortage of women for colonists to marry has been relieved this year with the arrival of a group of females taken from a house of correction in France. Some of them are prostitutes. Others are orphans who were kept in the Salpetriere in France.
When the ship carrying the females arrived at Ship Island near Biloxi earlier this year, women-hungry men paddled to the island to greet them. Some of the women were married by a secular priest in Biloxi shortly after arrival. The remaining women were parcelled out to French settlements such as New Orleans, Mobile and Biloxi.

“Casket Girls” sent from France
New Orleans 1728
The young women take daily walks through the city while the men gather in the streets to admire them. But they are chaperoned by Ursuline nuns. These women, mostly in their teens, are the first females of god character sent from France to marry colonists.
They are called “casket girls” or the “Filles a la cassette” because they arrived carrying small chests containing their trousseaus.

Indian Scalps sold in New Hampshire.
Pigwacket N.H. May 8, 1725
Captian John Lovewell, an Indian hunter, and his men paraded 10 scalps, atop poles in Dover last February. They left town £1000 richer, the first men to capitalise on the £100 per scalp bounty offered by England. Yesterday, Lovewell led another hunt for Pigwicket Indians near Ossippe Lake. But this time Chief Paugus and his warriors surprised them. Outnumbering the frontiersmen nearly two to one the Indians surrounded the Lovewell camp and avenged the scalpings. After a brutal encounter, Lovewell, many of his men and Chief Paugus were dead