Time Line for early American History and Literature

• 1492—Columbus ’ first voyage and the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition. Italians were best sailors of the day, which is why an Italian Columbus was sailing under the banner of the Spanish Queen.
• 1500 Beginning of the Renaissance period of Literature in England
• 1533 Separation of English Church from Rome: This is where Henry VIII decided to drop the Catholic Church because the Pope wouldn't grant him a divorce so he could marry again.
• 1549/1552: Book of Common Prayer, sought to bridge divide between various protestant sects due to ambiguities it contained on various dogma.
• Peace of Augsburg: princes free to impose their religion on their realm and cemented split between Roman Catholic and various Protestant churches.
• 1570s: Calvinist Dutch (refuge for many Puritans who flee England) revolt against Catholic Spain. Resulted in 1609 Twelve Years Truce, the end of which led Pilgrims to leave for America.
• 1584: Hakluyt's Discourse of Western Planting given to Queen EI, a propaganda piece about riches to be gained from colonizing the new world and saving the heathen natives from Roman Catholicism. America as a place for Puritan dissenters, criminals, vagrants and the unemployed.
• 1588 Defeat of the Spanish Armada: Much of the fleet was sunk and scattered in a storm but the English saw this as a sign that God was on their side and that Elizabeth was in good standing with the Divine.
• 1558--1603 Death of Elizabeth, Ascension of James I
• 1580-1620 considered the Elizabethan period in English Lit. (Includes what is also called the Jacobean era)
• 1605 Gunpowder Plot: Some Catholics, led by Guy Fawkes, supposedly an attempt to blow up Parliament. Some killed resisting arrest, remainder jailed and many executed for treason. Nov. 5 is Guy Fawkes Day in England. Fawkes is burned in effigy.
• 1607 Settlement at James Town: First real settlement of North America. Nearly 90 percent of the settlers are dead within the year.
• 1607: Virginia founding. Smith takes over from Newport after being placed in irons during the voyage. Founded as a commercial venture seeking gold and silver. By 1616 hungry and abandoned children were being shipped to Virginia under the Poor Law. Many Irish arrived having been evicted from their lands in Ireland
• In 1607, about the same time as the Jamestown colonization, a group of English colonists attempted to establish a colony in the Northern Virginia territory. The colony was located in present day Maine and was named Popham. It lasted for approximately a year before the discouraged settlers returned to England The Pilgrims were the first English colonists to permanently settle in New England in what we now know as Massachusetts in 1620.
• 1609 First Scot and English protestant settled in Ulster: sought to conquer Ireland by settling English Protestants. This is where the Irish "Troubles" began and are still going on today.
• 1611 King James translation of the Bible: Primary translation used by Protestants still today.
• 1616 Shakespeare dies
• 1618 Harvey discovers circulation of the blood (published 1628): Prior to this it was thought that the blood ebbed and flowed like the tide.
• 1619: First slaves, women, and labor strike in America; settlers are allowed to own land and elect lawmakers
• 1625-49 Reign of Charles I
• 1626—Although the Dutch West India Co. explored and began to settle the New York area as early as 1614, the story we all remember from our early history lessons is where Peter Minuit settled on Manhattan Island with other Dutch settlers and bought the island from the local Indians for 60 gilders ($24) worth of goods. He named his settlement on the island New Amsterdam. The Dutch holdings in the area were collectively called New Netherlands. New Amsterdam was granted self-government by the Dutch in 1652. In 1664, after King Charles II decided to reclaim the territory between Virginia and New England, Peter Stuyvesant surrendered to English forces and New Amsterdam was given to the King's brother, the Duke of York, and renamed New York. One of the Middle Colonies, New York originally started out as a Proprietary colony (granted by Royalty to one or more proprietors who had full governing rights) but in 1685 became a Royal colony. Not long after the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth (1628) the Puritans came to Massachusetts and settled Naumkeag (later called Salem). John Winthrop, carrying the Massachusetts Bay Charter, arrived in 1630 and founded Boston. Maine was annexed to Massachusetts in 1652 and later the Plymouth Colony was too. In 1632 Charles I granted a Maryland Charter to Lord Baltimore (George Calvert, Baron of Baltimore). Lord Baltimore wanted very much to see the Colony become a reality and his son Cecil saw to it that the new Colony was settled. In 1633 the first group of settlers set sail for Maryland to establish a colony of freemen led by Leonard Calvert, Cecil Calvert's younger brother. One of the Southern Colonies, Maryland was a Proprietary colony but failed as a Catholic aristocracy.
• Roger Williams was driven from Massachusetts for espousing religious and political freedom. After spending the winter with the Indians he finally bought land from them in what is now called Providence. The new colony became a haven for those seeking religious freedom (meaning they could practice what they wanted but often while persecuting those of other religions). A New England Colony, Rhode Island was established as a Corporate colony. After being driven from Massachusetts, Clergyman Thomas Hooker and his followers arrived in Hartford and declared freedom from all save Divine Authority. In 1639 the "Fundamental Orders" were enacted to govern the colony. In 1662 Connecticut finally obtained a Royal Charter under John Winthrop Jr. One of the New England Colonies, Connecticut was also a Corporate colony.
• 1638--In 1631, the first settlement was attempted in Delaware by Dutch traders led by Captain David Pietersen de Vries. By 1632 the party had been killed by the local natives. In 1638, Peter Minuet, now in the service of the Swedish, led a group of Swedish settlers to the Delaware River area under a grant from the New Sweden Company. The Dutch gained control of the land in 1655 from the Swedish. In 1664 the English obtained Delaware after defeating the Dutch. In 1682 Delaware was awarded to William Penn but his control didn't last and Delaware became independent in 1701.
• 1638--John Wheelwright, banished from Boston, founded the colony of New Hampshire. In 1639 the settlers signed the "Exeter Compact" patterned after the "Mayflower Compact". One of the New England Colonies, New Hampshire started out as a Proprietary colony but it became a Royal colony in 1679.
• 1639 First printing press in America: In order to control the distribution of printed materials, it was illegal to have a printing press in the colonies. The suppression of the means to distribute materials has been key to controlling many a society. Soviet Russia banned access to Xerox machines in the 1960's and 70's and many repressive governments today ban access to the Internet to limit access to information.
• 1642 English Civil War: Theaters closed because most drama mocks rulers; "New Model Army" is the first professional army. Earlier armies were raised from those working a particular noble's lands. The New Model Army recruited and paid soldiers to fight for Parliament against the Monarchist forces.
• 1649 Execution of Charles I: Many trace England's decline to this act. Since the Monarch was seen as God's chosen ruler on earth, to kill the king was to act directly against the will of God.
• 1649-60 Interregnum-Rule of Cromwell & Son: Cromwell was an astute ruler but he made the mistake of passing rule to his incompetent son, rather an odd choice for someone who led the battle against the hereditary succession of power inherent in the throne. >
• 1653--Virginia colonists began to settle the North Carolina region in 1653 to provide a buffer for the southern frontier. In 1691 Albermarle, the northern Carolina region, was officially recognized by the English crown. This is the first time the "North Carolina" designation was used. One of the Southern Colonies, North Carolina started out as a Proprietary colony but obtained a Royal charter in 1729 from Charles II.
• 1660 Restoration of Throne to Charles II: After Cromwell's son botched things up, the people of England were eager to restore the Monarchy.
• 1663--South Carolina was the site of the first European settlement in North America. In 1526 San Miguel de Guadalupe was established by settlers from Hispaniola. The party returned to Hispaniola after suffering many deaths due to fever the first year. In 1663 King Charles II created the colony of Carolina (named for King Charles II) by granting the territory, of what is now roughly North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to loyal supporters. This colonial charter was challenged by many Virginians who had settled in Albermarle Sound and resented their inclusion in the Carolina Charter. Charleston (originally Charles Town after the King) was founded in 1670 by a group of 200 colonists from English Barbados. The leader of the colonists was Sir John Yeamans, a powerful plantation owner on Barbados
• 1664--After obtaining control of Dutch holdings lying between Virginia and New England, the Duke of York made a proprietary grant, to Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley, of the land between the Hudson and the Delaware River. These men intended to profit from real estate sales. The new grant was named New Jersey for Carteret, who was governor of the Isle of Jersey. One of the Middle Colonies, New Jersey started out as a Proprietary colony but in 1702 it was granted a Royal charter.
• 1682--In 1681 what is now, roughly, the state of Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn, a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers), to offset a debt owed to Penn's father. In 1682 the city plan for Philadelphia was laid out. In 1682 the "Frame of Government" for Pennsylvania was put into effect. In 1683 the first German settlers arrived in Pennsylvania and formed Germantown near Philadelphia. One of the Middle Colonies, Pennsylvania was a Proprietary colony. In 1763, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, two young British astronomers commissioned to establish a borderline between Maryland and Pennsylvania, worked for more than four years to settle a century-old boundary dispute between the Calverts of Maryland and the Penns of Pennsylvania by establishing the Mason-Dixon Line.
• 1732--There were a few Spanish settlements along the coast, north of Florida, in the 16th and early 17th century but what is now Georgia was originally just the southern portion of the Carolina grant. Hoping to provide a second chance for adventurous members of the English under class, King George II, in 1732, granted Georgia to James Edward Oglethorpe, an English general. In addition to its lofty social goals the new Colony was also intended to provide additional protection for its northern colonial partners. Prior to Oglethorpe and his party settling the area in 1733, Fort King George was the only English occupation in the area. The Fort, which was established in 1721, was the Southern-most post in the Colonies and was situated to provide a buffer against Spanish and French intrusion from the South.
• 1738, General Oglethorpe brought a large military contingent to Georgia and the following year his troops provided a strong showing against the Spanish in King George's War ( the War of Austrian Succession in Europe). General Oglethorpe led his men into St. Augustine and although they were not able to obtain a victory there, when the Spanish sailed into Georgia seeking retaliation two years later, he and his soldiers were able to drive the Spanish back to Florida for, what turned out to be, the last time. One of the Southern Colonies, Georgia started out as a Proprietary colony but eventually became a Royal colony in 1752.

Iroquois League—a confederation of tribes, almost something of a model for the colonies when they become states because each tribe maintains its identity as a separate entity while forming part of a greater whole.

Some Elizabethan Characteristics

• Nationalist fervor of country, bolstered by defeat of Spanish Armada (much of which was sunk in a storm), beginnings of world colonization and trade--both of which were reflected in literature.
• Renaissance learning and interest began to be more generally felt. English language enriched by borrowings from Latin, Greek, Italian, and French. Humanist ideals (exalt the human over the divine). Verse forms such as sonnet and blank verse became more familiar.
• Religious controversy: struggles between Catholics and Church of England, and also among those of the High Church (similar in many ways to the Catholic Church) and the Low Church (Puritans).
• Rhetoric is stylish and self conscious, showing relish for ornate and cleverly arranged words. Depended more on rhyme schemes than tropes (metaphorical figures of speech)
• Reliance on amplification, exaggerated emphasis in interest of persuasive effect
• Pathetic fallacies--attribution of living qualities to inanimate objects, primarily with animalistic hostility in inanimate objects.

Some Restoration Characteristics

Fashionable/popular literature of the era is a reaction against Puritanism. (Puritans wished to purify church of England by eliminating anything remotely smacking of the Catholic Church and its pomp--doing away with superstitious rites of church (such as transubstantiation where the wafer and wine are believed to actually become the real body and blood of Jesus Christ), taking communion sitting rather than kneeling, serious observance of the Sabbath, discarding apocryphal (spurious, doubtful, divinely uninspired) books of Bible.)
Although a time of anxiety and tension, recrimination and score settling, literature marked by love of gaiety, wit, and immortality, revival of interest in science.
Guiding Principles

• Nature's law: orders natural elements/physics
• Celestial/heavenly law: that which the angels follow
• Law of Reason: binds reasoning creatures to law which they know they are bound
• Divine Law: binds men, known only because of revelation by God
• Human Law: Laws that men make out by following reason or divine law

 
The Chain of Being: describes God's plentitude, unfaltering order, and ultimate unity. Every speck in creation has a place in the chain. There are also nine levels of devils to go with the nine levels of angels, but I have never been able to figure out where they go on the continuum. Most likely they fit below the earthly.
Earthly (bottom)
inanimate class: elements: earth, water, air, fire.
vegetative class: trees, bushes, weeds, etc.
sensitive class--existence, life, and feeling that has three levels

• Bottom--creatures with touch but not movement, hearing or memory. Includes shellfish (oysters generally considered the lowest), parasites.
• middle is animals having touch, memory and movement, but not hearing. Ants are an example.
• Top are higher animals, having all four characteristics (touch, memory, movement, and hearing): horses, dogs, cats, etc.
• Man belongs to the existence, life, feeling, and understanding class.

Divine
Man's soul--bridge between earthly and divine
Angels (Angles bridge the gap between god and man)
Angels: triple divisions echo the Trinity
(contemplative) Seraphs, cherubs, thrones,
(Active in thought, not deed) Dominations, Virtues, Powers
(Active) Principalities, Archangels, Angels
God
Ether: each ruled in order by the angels above
primum mobile (outermost of 10 concentric circles making up the universe--that which is the cause of all movement but does not move itself.) the fixed stars, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon.
Among groups, there is one member who has Primacy:

• God is prime among the angels
• The sun is prime among the planets (earth wrongly seen as being at the center of the universe was considered the bottom)
• The eagle is prime among the birds
• The lion is prime among the beasts
• The king is prime among men
• Man's head is prime among his body
• Justice is prime among the virtues
• The rose is prime among flowers
• The dolphin is prime among the fish

Royal Colony*

A Royal Charter is a charter given by a monarch to legitimize an incorporated body, such as a city, company, university or such. In medieval Europe, cities were the only place where it was legal to conduct commerce, and Royal Charters were the only way to establish a city. The year a city was chartered is considered the year the city was "founded", irrespective of whether there was settlement there before. A Royal Charter is a charter granted by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, which creates or gives special status to an incorporated body. It is an exercise of the Royal Prerogative At one time a Royal Charter was the only way in which an incorporated body could be formed. Among the historic bodies formed by Royal Charter were the British East India Company, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), and the American colonies.

Charter Colony*

Charter colonies were promoted through private enterprise under charters from the crown. Generally, they were established by groups of settlers who were granted charters by the king and had more control over their own affairs than did the other types of colonies, which were ruled more directly by the British. They were founded by trading companies, by lords proprietors and by squatters later incorporated. Colonies of the first type for the most part either disappeared or changed their status early. The Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624, the New England Council surrendered its patent in 1635, the Providence Island colony was conquered by Spain in 1641 and the Massachusetts Bay Company became a theocracy, leaving the Bermuda Company as the only one of its kind in control of a colony through the greater part of the 17th century. Connecticut and Rhode Island, founded as squatter colonies by dissenters from Puritan Massachusetts, received charters of incorporation early in the English Restoration (restoration colony).

Proprietary Colony*

The British kings repeatedly granted territory to one or more individuals, rather than to a chartered company. These men, called proprietors, or sometimes "Lords Proprietors", were invested not only with property under private law but also with gubernatorial authority to administer it with extraordinary authority, somewhat recalling the earl palatine before the Glorious Revolution. The method was most notably used during the early colonization along the Atlantic coasts of North America and the Caribbean by Great Britain. Most were run under a charter agreement, which is reviewed by the ruling Monarch. A good example is the Province of Pennsylvania, granted to William Penn (the state still bears the name meaning 'woodlands of Penn') by King Charles II of England. This type of indirect rule eventually fell out of favor as the English Sovereigns sought to concentrate their power and authority, and the colonies were converted to crown colonies, i.e. governed by officials appointed by the King.

*Thanks to Wikipedia for the information.