Introduction

Colonial America: Almanac tells the story of the period in American history when European explorers and settlers established colonies in territory that is now the United States. Presenting the story requires first answering the question: When did the colonial period begin and when did it end? According to many historians, the era started either with failed English attempts to settle on Roanoke Island (1584–87) or their successful founding of Jamestown in 1607. The conclusion is placed either before or after the French and Indian War (1754–60) or at the beginning of the revolutionary period (1775–76). These time frames, regardless of dates, put the thirteen English colonies at the center of American history. Yet the Spanish had been exploring North America since the early 1500s and had founded the first permanent European settlement at Saint Augustine, Florida, in 1565. The French were operating a thriving colony at Quebec in present-day Canada when the English arrived at Jamestown. Similarly, the Dutch established New Netherland around the time the English were colonizing New England. Although England dominated the Atlantic seaboard after taking New Netherland in 1664, Spain and France still held border regions that hemmed in the emerging English colonies.

The story of the colonial period is not confined to the European struggle for power in North America, however. By the time the Europeans stepped onto the continent, Native Americans had been developing complex civilizations since at least 30,000 B.C. Therefore, native peoples are equally significant players in the drama that began unfolding in the late 1500s. For this reason Colonial America: Almanac opens with a brief survey of Native American history prior to the arrival of Europeans. The narrative moves on to Spanish, French, and Dutch settlement, then finally to the founding of the "original" English colonies. Yet these groups—Native Americans, Spanish, French, Dutch, and English—did not exist in isolation from one another. They were always interacting as they competed for land, trade routes, and alliances. Colonial society became even more complex as immigrants from other European nations flooded into North America during the 1600s and 1700s.

Thus the history of the colonial period was shaped mainly by interaction among the original colonizing nations and Native Americans. The French and their native allies, in particular, had a profound impact through their continued presence on the western frontier along the Mississippi River. In fact, the English colonies' ongoing conflicts with Native Americans led to the French and Indian War. Many scholars regard the end of the war as the close of the colonial period as well, because colonists felt less militarily dependent on the British after the victory over France. It was also an important event for Native Americans, who lost their allies when the French were driven out of North America. Taking this perspective, Colonial America: Almanac concludes the story at the end of the war, in 1760. Although the conflict was not officially over (the Treaty of Paris was signed three years later), the hostilities had ceased and America had reached a turning point: Colonists felt newly empowered, and whatever was left of the Native American way of life began to disappear forever.