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| | 1584 | March 25 Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618) to search and discover 'remote and heathen lands' | |
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| | 1584 | April 27 Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe reach Roanoke Island in July, authorised by Sir Walter Raleigh, claim the land and return to England in September | |
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| | 1585 | Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618) led expeditions to both North America and South America in order to found new settlements and find gold. Raleigh sends several shiploads of colonists to the east coast of North America and names Virginia in honour of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. | |
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| | 1585 | Raleigh's fleet of seven vessels under Sir Richard Grenville (1541 - 1591) reach Roanoke Island in June | |
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| | 1586 | The colonists on Roanoke Island are forced to return to England due to hardships | |
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| | 1587 | John White ( 1540? - 1606 ) with 150 men, women, and children sent by Sir Walter Raleigh and found the City of Raleigh & establishes a second English colony at Roanoke and becomes Governor | |
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| | 1587 | August 18 - Elinor White Dare gave birth to a daughter, Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in the New World | |
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| | 1587 | August 22 1587 - John White returns to England for more supplies leaving the thriving colony. Seven assistants are left in charge with strict instructions that if the colonists should decide to leave the fort, they would carve their destination on a tree and add a Maltese cross if they had to leave because of attack | |
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| | 1590 | August 15 1590 John White arrives back to Roanoke to find that the settlers have all disappeared. The word "CROATOAN" is found carved into a tree without any crosses or signs of distress. The fate of "The Lost Colony" still remains a mystery | |
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| | 1602 | Sir Walter Raleigh sends Samuel Mace of Weymouth on a voyage to Virginia (North Carolina) to explore and search for survivors of the Lost Colony | |
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| | 1606 | 10 April 1606 English investors form the London Virginia Company are backed by a royal charter to finance permanent English settlements in the New World | |
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| | 1607 | Virginia Colony established by colonists dispatched by the London Company found the first permanent settlement at Jamestown | |
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| | 1609 | Henry Hudson (1565-1611) English and navigator explores the area | |
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| | 1612 | John Rolfe (1585 - 1622) exports first crop of improved tobacco | |
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| | 1614 | John Rolfe and Pocahontas marry at Jamestown on April 5 1614 | |
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| | 1671 | Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam establish English claims to the Ohio Valley | |
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| | 1722 | Virginia government allows families to live rent-free for ten years on land owned by the state | |
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| | 1722 | Iroquois surrender claims to land south of the Ohio River in addition to counties in the eastern panhandle | |
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| | 1725 | Northern part of western Virginia explored by fur trader John Van Nehne | |
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| | 1732 | Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and German pioneers settle the western portions of Virginia including Harper's Ferry | |
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| | 1744 | Territory ceded to the English by Indians of the Six Nations | |
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| | 1748 | "The Harpers Ferry" begins carrying passengers across the Shenandoah River | |
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| | 1756 | 1756 - 1763: The Seven Years War (French and Indian War) due to disputes over land is won by Great Britain. France gives England all French territory east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans. The Spanish give up east and west Florida to the English in return for Cuba. | |
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| | | For additional facts and information about Colonial America refer to the Virginia Colony | |
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| | 1775 | 1775 - 1783 - The American Revolution creates the United States of America. The Revolution was due to the British burden of taxes and total power to legislate any laws governing the American colonies. George Washington led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (American War of Independence | |
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| | 1776 | July 4, 1776 - United States Declaration of Independence | |
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| | 1778 | July 10, 1778 - France declares war against Britain and makes an alliance with the American revolutionary forces | |
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| | 1783 | September 3, 1783 - The Treaty of Paris is signed by the victorious United States and the defeated Great Britain | |
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| | 1788 | Statehood - The Date that Virginia was admitted to the Union - June 25, 1788. Constitution - Virginia was the 10th State to be admitted to the Union. State Motto - " Sic Semper Tyrannis " the State Motto is translated as " Thus Always to Tyrants". | |
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| | 1803 | The Louisiana Purchase - In 1803, the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France. The U.S. Secretary of State, James Madison paid 15 million dollars for the land | |
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| | 1812 | 1812 - 1815: The War of 1812 between U.S. and Great Britain, ended in a stalemate but confirmed America's Independence | |
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| | 1820 | Maine becomes its own state | |
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| | 1859 | John Brown raided Harpers Ferry and set in motion events that led directly to the outbreak of the Civil War. | |
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| | 1861 | 1861 - 1865: The American Civil War. outbreak of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president and in 1861 the South Secedes. The initial Secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. | |
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| | 1865 | The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9 1865 signalled the end of the Confederacy | |
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| | 1865 | 1865 December 6 - The Abolishment of Slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, thus officially abolishing slavery. | |
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| | 1865 | The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9 1865 signalled the end of the Confederacy | |
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| | 1898 | 1898-1901 The Spanish American War. On December 10, 1898 the Treaty of Paris the US annexes Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines. | |
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