The religious and civil conflict in England in the mid-17th century limited immigration, as well as the attention the mother country paid the fledgling American colonies.

The religious and civil conflict in England in the mid-17th century limited immigration, as well as the attention the mother country paid the fledgling American colonies. In part to provide for the defense measures England was...

This site provides links to a variety of coins used in the colonies and in the confederation. Extremely detailed.

The first of the British colonies to take hold in North America was Jamestown. On the basis of a charter which King James I granted to the Virginia (or London) company, a group of about 100 men set out for the Chesapeake Bay in 1607....

Men and women with little active interest in a new life in America were often induced to make the move to the New World by the skillful persuasion of promoters. William Penn, for example, publicized the opportunities awaiting newcomers...

The American colonies in the British empire were exploited in the name of mercantilism. The following excerpt explains the idea behind mercantilism and how it was put into practice.

Once the colonies gained their independence, American ships began to search the oceansfor markets to replace the British colonial markets from which they were now excluded (theWest Indies) or in which they were subjected to heavy tax...

Portraits of early New Englanders as well as four buildings from seventeenth-century New England that accompany accounts in those British colonies of struggles, Indian hostilities, and economic success.

Whatever early colonial prosperity there was resulted from trapping and trading in furs. In addition, the fishing industry was a primary source of wealth in Massachusetts. But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small...

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 eastern North America at the time of the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The map is color-coded to show the possessions of the British, French, and Spanish at the time. The map shows the British colony boundaries, major...

A map showing the British possessions in North America in 1765 after the French and Indian War, as defined by the Treaty of 1763, Proclamation of 1763, and the Royal Orders of 1764-1767. The map shows the British Colonies on the...

A map showing the British possessions in North America in 1775, before the outbreak of hostilities during the American Revolutionary War. The map shows the boundaries of the British Colonies along the Atlantic, the Proclamation Line of...

Kids learn about the history and timeline of the country of the United States including early British colonies, the American Revolution, Civil War, World War I and 2, Civil Rights, and the Cold War.

Valuable lessons in the history of Europeans' early exploration and settlement of America can be gained by following the money used in trade. Coins and Currency exhibition lets you examine evidence of Spanish, British, Dutch, French, and...

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...

Overview of the early court system in Colonial Virginia and the challenges colonists faced interpreting British law for local purposes.

A series of three maps of the British colonies in North America showing the types of colonial governments between 1682, 1692, and 1730, and the shift from charter colonies electing their own governors to the colonies with councilors...

A map of the American colonies and territories west to the Mississippi River between the end of the French and Indian War of 1763 and the beginnings of westward expansion of the trans-Appalachian colony proposed in the Vandalia Project...

A map of the British Colonies showing the colonies participating in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 held in Federal Hall, New York City. The map shows the number of delegates from each colony, and the colonies that refused to call...

A map of the British Colonies showing the colonies participating in the First Continental Congress of 1774 held in Philadelphia. The map shows the number of delegates from each of the twelve colonies that participated (the Province of...

A map showing the boundary dispute between the British colonies of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware between 1681 and 1767. The map shows the lands in dispute, as English King Charles II paid his debt to William Penn by issuing him a...

A map of the British Colonies showing the colonies participating in the Albany Congress of 1754 and the number of delegates from each.

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, then called Indians.