European Colonization of North America

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What were the primary European colonies in America?

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The first European settlements in North America were the Vikings who settled in Greenland, Labrador, and Newfoundland. The primary European colonies during the colonial period began with the settlement of Jamestown in modern Virginia in 1609. The major American colonies were the famous thirteen: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Other European settlements in North America include the French in New France to the north (in modern Canada), and the Spanish in modern Florida (settled in 1595). St. Augustine is in fact the oldest continually occupied settlement in North America. The Spanish also settled areas in New Mexico and Arizona in the 16th century and California in the 18th.

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