Colonial America: New World Settlements

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The 13 Colonies

The 13 Colonies were a group of colonies of Great Britain that settled on the Atlantic coast of America in the 17th and 18th centuries. The colonies declared independence in 1776 to found the United States of America.

Plymouth Colony

Journey to the ‘New World’ Among the group traveling on the Mayflower in 1620 were close to 40 members of a radical Puritan faction known as the English Separatist Church. Feeling that the Church of England had not sufficiently completed the necessary work of the Protestant Reformation, the group had chosen to break with the […]

Salem Witch Trials

The infamous Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions for witchcraft starting in 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts.

The Pilgrims

The Mayflower Voyage The group that set out from Plymouth, in southwestern England, in September 1620 included 35 members of a radical Puritan faction known as the English Separatist Church. In 1607, after illegally breaking from the Church of England, the Separatists settled in the Netherlands, first in Amsterdam and later in the town of […]

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Why Did the Pilgrims Come to America?

They were less religious refugees than economic migrants.

Ousamequin, chief of the Wampanoag signs a peace treaty with Governor John Carver (1576 - 1621).

Why the Wampanoag Signed a Peace Treaty with the Mayflower Pilgrims

The treaty that made the first Thanksgiving possible has a dark backstory.

A black preacher addressing his mixed congregation on a plantation in South Carolina, c. 1860

The Surprising Religious Diversity of America’s 13 Colonies

It wasn’t just Protestants seeking a place to freely practice their faiths.

George Whitefield preachingGeorge Whitefield preaching. English Anglican priest and a founder of Methodism. Preached during the Great Awakening in 1700s in Europe and American colonies. 16 December 1714 30 September 1770. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***

How ‘Poor Laws’ Tried to Tackle Poverty in Colonial America

Before Social Security, American colonists initiated local poverty relief taxes, and differentiations were made between “worthy” and “unworthy” poor.

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Mystery at Roanoke

Before Jamestown and Plymouth, the English attempted to forge a colony at Roanoke. Within three years, it had disappeared, leaving a mysterious clue behind. What really happened to the Roanoke settlers?