Key Figures and Events in Early American History

Poverty Point

A prehistoric Native American site in Louisiana, built by hunter gatherers around 1700-1100 BCE. Known for massive earth mounds suggesting a complex trade network and society.

Aztecs

Mesoamerican civilization that dominated central Mexico from 14th to 16th centuries, capital at Tenochtitlan. Known for their military and human sacrifices, before being conquered by the Spanish in 1521.

Bartholomew Dias

A Portuguese explorer first to sail around the southern tip of Africa in 1488, providing a sea route to the Indian Ocean. Laid ground work for future voyages like Vasco da Gama to India.

Vasco da Gama

A Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India via sea in 1498 sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. Established Portugal as a trade power in the Indian ocean.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer sailing for Spain. Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492 while seeking a route to Asia. Initiated European colonization and Columbian exchange.

Ferdinand Magellan

A Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain, first expedition to circumnavigate the globe (1519-1522). He was killed in the Philippines before completing his journey. His journey proved the Earth was round.

Henry VIII (1509-1547)

King of England, known for breaking away from the Catholic Church and establishing the Church of England in 1534. His 6 marriages and pursuit of an heir shaped English history & politics.

Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

Daughter of Henry VIII, oversaw the Elizabethan era of exploration, culture, and military, including the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Her reign solidified England's place as a global power.

James VI & I (1603-1625)

James VI of Scotland became James I of England, uniting the 2 crowns. His rule saw the translation of the King James Bible and tensions with Parliament that set the stage for more conflicts.

Oliver Cromwell

An English military and political leader who led the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War (1642-1651) and ruled as Lord Protector (1653-1658) after the execution of Charles I. His Puritan rule and dismissal of Parliament made him controversial.

Charles II (1660-1685)

After Cromwell's government fell, Charles II was restored to the throne during the Restoration period. His rule was more relaxed, expanding the colonies, with some conflicts with Parliament.

Jamestown

Founded in 1607 in Virginia, Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. They had early struggles with starvation and conflict with Native Americans, but eventually became profitable through growing tobacco.

John Smith

English explorer and leader in Jamestown. He helped the colony survive through its struggles (1607-1609) through discipline and negotiations with the Powhatan tribe.

John Rolfe

Introduced tobacco cultivation into the Jamestown colony and married Pocahontas in 1614, improving relations between English and Powhatan temporarily.

House of Burgesses

Established in 1619 in Virginia, it was the first representative legislative body in colonial America, setting a precedent for self-governance and democracy in the future US.

Powhatan

A powerful Native American chief who ruled over a confederation of tribes in Virginia in 1607, influencing early relations between English and Native Americans.

Sir Edwin Sandys

Key figure in English colonization who helped reform the Virginia Company and promoted self-government through the House of Burgesses.

Mayflower Compact

Signed in 1620 aboard the Mayflower, it was an agreement for self-government in the Plymouth colony based on majority rule.

John Winthrop

A Puritan leader and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, serving from 1630, who envisioned the colony as a city upon a hill.

Roger Williams

A religious dissenter banished from Massachusetts in 1636 who founded Rhode Island, establishing religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Anne Hutchinson

A Puritan woman who challenged religious authority in Massachusetts, tried and banished in 1637 for her beliefs, later establishing a settlement in Rhode Island.

Charles I (1625-1649)

King of England until his execution in 1649, whose conflicts with Parliament led to the English Civil War and the temporary establishment of a republic under Oliver Cromwell.

William Penn

A Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania in 1681 who promoted religious tolerance, democratic principles, and fair dealings with Native Americans.

James II (1685-1688)

The last Catholic monarch of England, overthrown in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 due to unpopular policies and attempts to restore Catholic dominance.

James Oglethorpe

An English philanthropist and military leader who founded the colony of Georgia in 1733 as a refuge for debtors and a buffer against Spanish Florida.