Colonial America

1,718

documented events

21

sovereignty transitions

1492-1848

coverage span

What is meant by Colonial America?

Colonial America refers to the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century through the American Revolution in 1776. During this era, Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands established settlements and claimed territories across the continent, displacing and interacting with Indigenous peoples who had inhabited the land for thousands of years.

Which European powers colonised what is now the United States?

Four major European powers colonized parts of what is now the United States. Spain claimed Florida, the Southwest, and the Gulf Coast from the 1500s onward. France claimed the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes region. England established the thirteen colonies along the Atlantic seaboard from the early 1600s. The Dutch briefly controlled New York (then New Netherland) before ceding it to England in 1664.

When did the colonial period end?

The colonial period for British North America ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally recognized American independence following the Revolutionary War. However, Spanish colonial control persisted in Florida until 1821 and in the Southwest until Mexican independence in 1821 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. French colonial claims effectively ended with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

What were the original 13 colonies?

The original thirteen British colonies were: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. All thirteen declared independence in 1776 and became the founding states of the United States of America.