American History Timeline (1675 – 1700)

American History Timeline: 1675

• King Philip’s War begins when King Philips leads the Wampanoag Indians against Swansea.
• The New England Confederation declares war on King Philip and each colony is required to provide men for a combined force.
• King Philip achieves a decisive victory at Bloody Brook on September 18.

1676

• In March, the Indians attack Plymouth, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island.
• Nathaniel Bacon is declared a traitor and is arrested. He is later pardoned for this when he admits his guilt.
• In June, the colonists with the Mohegan Indians defeat King Philip’s men at Hadley.
• Nathaniel Bacon writes the “Declaration of the People of Virginia.”
• In June, Nathaniel Bacon assembles a group of 500 men leading them to Jamestown in what comes to be known as Bacon’s Rebellion.
• Virginia planters agree to support Nathaniel Bacon.
• King Philip’s War ends on August 22 when the Indians surrender.
• Bacon burns Jamestown on September 19.
• On October, 18, Nathaniel Bacon dies. The rebel army surrenders when promised amnesty.

1677

• Virginia Governor Berkeley executes 23 of the rebels from Bacon’s Rebellion in direct defiance of the crown. He is later replaced by Colonel Jeffreys as the head of Virginia.
• Increase Mather writes “The Troubles That Have Happened in New England.”

1678

• King Philip’s War is formally brought to an end.
• The French (Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle, and Father Louis Hennepin) find Niagara Falls while exploring Canada.

American History Timeline: 1680

• New Hampshire is separated from Massachusetts by royal decree.

1681

• William Penn receives a royal charter to set up Pennsylvania.

1682

• Frenchman Sieur de la Salle claims the land at the mouth of the Mississippi for France and calls it Louisiana.
• William Penn writes “Frame for Government” that provides for a precursor of a bicameral government.

1684

• The charter for Massachusetts Bay Colony is revoked.

1685

• The Duke of York becomes King James II and makes New York a royal province.
• William Penn is given jurisdiction over Delaware.
• The number of French Huguenot settlers in America increases after King Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes that protected their religious freedom.
• Increase Mather is named President of Harvard College.

1686

• King James II creates the Dominion of New England and names Sir Edmund Andros as governor general.

1687

• William Penn publishes “The Excellent Privilege of Liberty and Property”.

1688

• Governor Edmund Andros places the militia of New England under his direct control.
• The earliest known antislavery tract is released in the colonies by the Quakers at Germantown, Pennsylvania.
  • The Glorious Revolution occurs in which King James II (Catholic) flees to France and is replaced by William and Mary of Orange (Protestant).

1689

• William and Mary of Orange are officially named King and Queen of England.
• Governor Andros surrenders to colonial rebels and is put in jail.
• New England colonies begin re-instituting their own governments after Governor Andros is removed from power.
• The Toleration Acts are passed by Parliament which gives limited Freedom of Religion to citizens.
• A Bill of Rights is passed by Parliament as a statue.

American History Timeline: 1690

• King William’s War begins when the combined forces of the French and the Indians attack towns in New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

1691

• William Penn makes Delaware a separate government from Pennsylvania.
• Maryland is declared a Royal province removing Lord Baltimore from political power.
• Plymouth Colony becomes part of Massachusetts.

1692

• William III takes the throne.
• Pennsylvania is named a royal colony.
• Salem Witchcraft trials occur. 20 persons are executed before the trials end.

1693

• College of William and Mary is founded in Williamsburg, Virginia.
• North Carolina is designated.

1694

• Colonists sign a peace treaty with the Iroquois to keep them from allying with the French in the future.
• Pennsylvania is once again named a Proprietary Colony.

1696

• Navigation Acts of 1696 are passed by Parliament that limit all colonial trade to English-built vessels among other things.

1697

• The Treaty of Ryswick ends King William’s War and restores all colonial possessions to pre-war ownership.

1699

• Pirate Captain Kidd is captured and sent to England where he will be executed in 1701.
• Wool Act is passed by Parliament to protect the British wool industry. It forbids the export of wool from the American colonies.

1700

• Massachusetts requires all Roman Catholic priests to leave the colony within three months or be arrested.
• Boston is the largest city in the American colonies and the overall population of the colonies numbers around 275,000.