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About 1000 A.D., the Scandinavian [[Leif Ericson]] discovered [[Vinland]], which is probably present [[New England]], and founded a small colony that failed.  Nothing further came of that effort.  Because this exploration amounted to nothing, it is not particularly significant.

About 1000 A.D., the Scandinavian [[Leif Ericson]] discovered [[Vinland]], which is probably present [[New England]], and founded a small colony that failed.  Nothing further came of that effort.  Because this exploration amounted to nothing, it is not particularly significant.

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By 1482, a determined Italian explorer named [[Christopher Columbus]] sought financing to sail west in order to reach India.  He tried Portugal, but it had its own successful explorers.  Why would Portugal need Columbus? Finally, in 1492, Spain funded his effort in 1492.   

By 1482, a determined Italian explorer named [[Christopher Columbus]] sought financing to sail west in order to reach India.  He tried Portugal, but it had its own successful explorers.  Why would Portugal need Columbus? Finally, in 1492, Spain funded his effort.   

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Columbus set sail in three ships.  First sighted land in late 1492. On Christmas eve, December 24, 1492, one of Columbus's ship, the [[Santa Maria]], reached the island of [[Haiti]].  Columbus named the settlement “La Navidad,” meaning “The Nativity,” and dropped off 40 men with a promise to return to them the next year.  Columbus then wrote to the King and Queen of Spain the following in his Journal:  “In all the world there can be no better or gentler people.  Your Highnesses should feel great joy, because presently they will be Christians, and instructed in the good manners of your realms.”

Columbus set sail in three ships.  First sighted land in late 1492. On Christmas eve, December 24, 1492, one of Columbus's ship, the [[Santa Maria]], reached the island of [[Haiti]].  Columbus named the settlement “La Navidad,” meaning “The Nativity,” and dropped off 40 men with a promise to return to them the next year.  Columbus then wrote to the King and Queen of Spain the following in his Journal:  “In all the world there can be no better or gentler people.  Your Highnesses should feel great joy, because presently they will be Christians, and instructed in the good manners of your realms.”

In 1624 King James (of “King James Bible” fame) took back the Virginia colony and established it as a royal charter.  King James was left with a problem colony that enslaved workers and grew tobacco.  More trouble lied ahead.  In 1676, Nathanial Bacon was a Virginia settler who decided to take the law into his own hands.  He first massacred Indians in western Virginia, then took his small army of rebels to Jamestown, where he burned it down because the governor had refused to allow him to kill the Indians.  Bacon himself soon died from a disease.  The governor returned and hung two dozen of his supporters.  How Virginia produced four of our first five presidents is amazing.  You can think about this and answer on the homework assignment.   

In 1624 King James (of “King James Bible” fame) took back the Virginia colony and established it as a royal charter.  King James was left with a problem colony that enslaved workers and grew tobacco.  More trouble lied ahead.  In 1676, Nathanial Bacon was a Virginia settler who decided to take the law into his own hands.  He first massacred Indians in western Virginia, then took his small army of rebels to Jamestown, where he burned it down because the governor had refused to allow him to kill the Indians.  Bacon himself soon died from a disease.  The governor returned and hung two dozen of his supporters.  How Virginia produced four of our first five presidents is amazing.  You can think about this and answer on the homework assignment.   

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By then there were many other settlements in North America.  The most important were two settlements in Massachusetts, which has a much harsher climate than Virginia, particularly in the wintertime.  But there motivation was religious, not financial.  Puritans were unhappy with the direction of the Church of England, feeling it was too much like the Catholic Church.  Two different groups of Puritans set out for North America.  One group wanted to purify the Church of England by remaining in the Church but in a more perfect community.  The other group wanted to separate completely from the Church of England.  Both groups landed by chance within 100 miles of each other in Massachusetts.

By then there were many other settlements in North America.  The most important were two settlements in Massachusetts, which has a much harsher climate than Virginia, particularly in the wintertime.  But their motivation was religious, not financial.  Puritans were unhappy with the direction of the Church of England, feeling it was too much like the Catholic Church.  Two different groups of Puritans set out for North America.  One group wanted to purify the Church of England by remaining in the Church but in a more perfect community.  The other group wanted to separate completely from the Church of England.  Both groups landed by chance within 100 miles of each other in Massachusetts.

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The first group, the “Pilgrims”, set sail from Plymouth, England and intended to land near the mouth of the Hudson River (now New York City), which was the northern part of the Virginia Company’s territory.  But their ship, the “Mayflower”, was blown off course and they landed up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts in 1620.  Outside of any official government, they decided on the boat to establish the first civil government in North America by signing the Mayflower Compact.  They landed in December, and half died due to disease in their first New England winter.  But the following spring a friendly Indian introduced them to corn, or maize, the marvelous food discovered by Indians.  They had a plentiful harvest that fall, and celebrated their first Thanksgiving with the Indians that fall.  In 1623, their new Governor [[William Bradford]] gave every member a plot of land and allowed the free market to develop.  By 1624, the community was doing so well that it was actually making more food than it could consume and began exporting its corn.

The first group, the “Pilgrims”, set sail from Plymouth, England and intended to land near the mouth of the Hudson River (now New York City), which was the northern part of the Virginia Company’s territory.  But their ship, the “Mayflower”, was blown off course and they landed up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts in 1620.  Outside of any official government, they decided on the boat to establish the first civil government in North America by signing the Mayflower Compact.  They landed in December, and half died due to disease in their first New England winter.  But the following spring a friendly Indian introduced them to corn, or maize, the marvelous food discovered by Indians.  They had a plentiful harvest that fall, and celebrated their first Thanksgiving with the Indians that fall.  In 1623, their new Governor [[William Bradford]] gave every member a plot of land and allowed the free market to develop.  By 1624, the community was doing so well that it was actually making more food than it could consume and began exporting its corn.