Colonial America
 1) The Colonies
Outline
 2) The First European Settlements
 3) Important Documents
The Colonies
 A colony is a group of people
who move to a new land that
is ruled by their parent
country.
 Colonists settled on these
lands in the 1600s and
1700s.
 Considered separate; not
“United” states yet.
First European
Settlements
 Roanoke Colony- The first permanent English civilization that was
established by Queen Elizabeth I and founded by Sir Walter
Raleigh. The colonist disappeared sometime before 1590.
 Jamestown- First successful English settlement in North America.
Founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company, making it a joint-stock
company.
 Plymouth: Colony founded in 1620 by the Puritans, or Pilgrims,
and where New England, the oldest municipality was established.
 Municipality- a city or town that has a local government
 St. Augustine- Founded by the Spanish in 1565 and it is the oldest
European settlement in North America.
 The Mayflower Compact- An agreement among the Pilgrims that
established a tradition of direct democracy.
Important
Documents
 Citizens were allowed to hold town meetings to solve local problems
and issues.
 Voting was limited to men that owned land.
 The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut- America’s first written
constitution. Called for an assembly of representatives from each
town to vote on laws.